India, Oct. 14 -- The Srimandir Security Sub-Committee on Tuesday announced a total ban on mobile phones on the 12th-century Shree Jagannath Temple premises, which would apply not only to devotees but also to servitors and police personnel.

"This is not to inconvenience anyone but to protect the sanctity and security of the shrine," Girish Chandra Murmu, who heads the temple's security sub-committee, told reporters on Tuesday.

"No one, including police and sevayats (servitors), will be allowed to carry mobile phones inside. Instead, servitors will be given closed-circuit walkie-talkie devices for communication, said Murmu, the former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India.

"The Shree Jagannath Temple is not just a place of wors...