“Further investigation is on,” Prashant Kumar Sahu said. (document)

Bhubaneswar:

Odisha police detained a British national for entering the Jagannath temple in Puri and attacking police personnel deployed inside the shrine, a police officer said on Sunday.

The foreign tourist, Thomas Craig Shelton, from Wandsworth, south London, entered the 12th-century shrine without authorization on Saturday, police said.

Thomas allegedly attacked the police when they stopped him and asked him to leave the temple as non-Hindus were not allowed inside, they said.

“We have detained the foreign tourist and further investigation is on,” said Prasant Kumar Sahu, DSP of Puri.

The incident occurred a week after a Polish woman was detained for entering the temple on March 23 and was later released. Previously, several Bangladeshi citizens were arrested while entering the temple on March 3 and were later released.

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