Guj man arrested for sexually harassing woman inside Puri temple

Bhubaneswar: A pilgrim from Gujarat was arrested on charges of subjecting a woman devotee from Chhattisgarh to persistent sexual harassment in the Jagannath temple, Puri, despite being confronted multiple times and even slapped by her, police said on Friday. The incident, which took place on Tuesday evening, came to light on Friday after some temple servitors disclosed the details.The 24-year-old woman, employed at a private company in Korba, was at the temple with her family when the accused, Vijay Surendra Pandya, 58, allegedly touched her inappropriately while standing behind her. Initially, the woman assumed the contact was accidental due to the crowded temple. However, when the inappropriate behaviour continued, she turned to confront the man.Unfazed, he responded dismissively, saying, “kya hua beti,” which further angered her. As she moved aside to continue her prayers, the man allegedly followed her and repeated his misconduct. Upon confronting him again, the situation escalated when he allegedly held her hands and kissed them, much to her chagrin. The incident then drew the attention of other devotees, temple servitors, and police, who intervened to prevent further escalation of the situation. “Despite being warned and slapped by the woman, he continued to smile and repeated the act. Her alarmed cries drew our attention, leading to his immediate arrest,” a police officer said.According to police, Pandya was part of a tourist group visiting Puri for the Jagannath darshan. Based on the victim’s account, eyewitness testimonies, and CCTV footage, Pandya was arrested on charges of stalking, sexual harassment, assault or use of criminal force with intent to outrage a woman’s modesty, and actions intended to insult a woman’s modesty.In the wake of the disturbing incident, Puri police have stepped up their vigilance to ensure the safety of women devotees. With the ongoing holy Kartika month attracting around 100,000 devotees daily, police presence has been bolstered with additional personnel in both uniform and plain clothes. “We urge devotees to immediately report any grievances to on-duty police personnel for prompt action,” said SP (Puri) Prateek Singh.As this incident has raised significant concerns about the safety of women on the shrine premises, Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) said the temple is a place that is supposed to be a sanctuary for spiritual solace. “We are committed to ensuring a safe and respectful environment for all devotees, emphasizing that such misconduct will not be tolerated,” an SJTA official said.