Dikhyaa Mohanty 
The entry of three devotees from outside the State into Gundicha temple allegedly facilitated by a police officer has raised questions over the security arrangements of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA).
According to the reports, two devotees along with a police officer from outside Odisha arrived at Gundicha temple in a four-wheeler bearing registration number OD02AS 3536 in the morning. A uniformed police officer of Odisha allegedly escorted them into the temple.
The SJTA had posted its own security personnel to guard the shrine while the temple administrator preferred didn’t have any comments regarding the matter. Temple servitor Binayak Dasmahapatra has demanded action against the security persons on duty for allowing entry of the outsiders.
It is learnt that after the Trinity left Gundicha temple in Bahuda Yatra, deployment of Odisha police was withdrawn and security tightened at Srimandir. The Sri Jagannath temple has remained out of bounding for devotees since May 5 due to the second Covid wave. While security has been beefed up to prevent the entry of devotees into the temple, regular rituals are being performed by servitors.
