Minor girl alleges cop 'misbehaved' with her inside Jagannath temple

A minor girl alleged a policeman had "misbehaved" with her inside Puri's Shree Jagannath Temple Saturday, a senior officer said.

The accused policeman, however, was yet to be identified, he said.

"In her complaint, the girl, a resident of Jajpur district, said the policeman, who accompanied her and her parents to 'Bhitar Katha' (inner barricade) from 'Bahar Katha' (outer barricade), misbehaved while she was praying to the Trinity on Saturday morning," Puri SP Sarthak Sarangi said.

The minor girl's statement has been recorded at Singhadwar Police Station here and a senior officer entrusted with the task of carrying out the investigation, the SP said.

The complainant, while talking to reporters outside the police station, said she "will be able to identify the accused if she sees him".

The police have been going through CCTV footages as part of its probe, Sarangi said, adding that stringent action will be taken against the policeman if found guilty.

The incident comes a day after a protest by the shrine's servitors here over alleged assault against one of them by the police. The gates of the temple remained shut for about 12 hours on Friday due to the protests.