Saswat Singhdeo

Puri: In response to the reports of three foreign tourists climbing up a police watchtower near Puri Jagannath temple and shooting video of the temple interiors, Puri SP Umashankar Das said that the tourists were stopped by cops present at the tower.

"The tourists were trying to climb up the watchtower but were stopped by the cops deployed at the spot," said Das.

The video of the incident which went viral on various social media platforms had drawn criticism from all quarters with people flagging concerns over the safety and security arrangements at the ancient shrine.

According to reports, three foreign tourists climbed up the police watchtower located on the west side of Srimandir and clicked pictures and shot videos of the interiors of the Srimandir.

The video purportedly showed that there were no cops present at the spot even though it is a strategic surveillance spot.

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