Controversy Erupts as Shilpa Shetty’s Lingaraj Temple Visit Photos Go Viral
The administration of the Lingaraj Temple issued a show-cause notice to Niti Supervisor Raj Kishore Mohapatra on Tuesday for bringing a mobile phone into the 11th-century temple during actress Shilpa Shetty’s visit. Mohapatra was observed detailing the shrine’s history and rituals to the actress, who visited on Monday evening. Despite a strict ban on mobile phones inside the temple, Shetty was seen recording her experience.
So, after the Bollywood actress posted pictures and a video of the shrine on her social media, it caused quite a stir, right? People were upset, saying there wasn’t enough oversight and accused the temple staff of favoritism towards VIPs. The Lingaraj Temple administration then took action and issued a show-cause notice to the Niti Supervisor in response to the backlash.
At the same time, the temple servitors shifted the responsibility onto the police stationed at the temple, claiming that they allowed VIPs to bring mobile phones into the shrine, even into the sanctum sanctorum. Servitor Shiba Prasad Mohapatra stated, “Last week, two VIPs entered the shrine with mobile phones, yet no uproar followed. This has always been the case, but no action is taken against the police officers responsible for preventing such incidents, while VIPs use their mobile phones openly in front of everyone.”