Security beefed up at Shree Jagannath Temple in view of rising India-Pak tensions

Heavy deployment of security personnel has been made to ensure the safety of devotees and the temple premises. The heightened security comes in the wake of the recent security audit conducted by the National Security Guard (NSG) team

Bhubaneswar: Security has been intensified in and around the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri amid the escalation of tensions between India and Pakistan.

Heavy deployment of security personnel has been made to ensure the safety of devotees and the temple premises. The heightened security comes in the wake of the recent security audit conducted by the National Security Guard (NSG) team. Several precautionary measures have been put in place to strengthen surveillance and response systems around the temple.

Officials confirmed that round-the-clock monitoring, increased patrolling, and deployment of special forces have been implemented to prevent any untoward incident.

Entry protocols have also been tightened as part of the new security arrangements. Meanwhile, the security arrangements at the Hirakud Dam, the longest earthen dam in the world, located in Sambalpur district, have also been intensified.

The district administration has reportedly restricted tourists’ entry to the dam premises until further notice. Security arrangements have also been heightened at the Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar and the Paradip Port in Jagatsinghpur.

On the other hand, a high-level meeting is likely to be held in Balasore district on Friday afternoon to discuss steps to tighten security arrangements at sensitive defence installations of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) at Chandipur in Balasore.

DIG of Police (Eastern Range) Satyajit Naik had earlier convened an emergency meeting to hold discussions on enhancing security measures at defence installations at Chandipur.

“In view of the prevailing war-like situation in the country, it is proposed to hold an emergency meeting on May 9, 2025, at 02:00 pm to review the security arrangements of the critical defence installations, including the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, and Proof and Experimental Establishment (PXE), Chandipur,” wrote Naik.

The Indian Army, in a statement, said that Pakistan launched multiple attacks using drones and other munitions along the entire Western Border on the intervening night of May 8 and 9 and resorted to numerous ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, which were effectively repulsed.