The Shri Mahakaleshwar Temple administration in Ujjain has dismissed three private security guards and imposed a fresh Rs 5 lakh penalty on their agency after a video showing a devotee filming inside restricted areas went viral on social media.
The action was communicated in a letter issued on Friday to the manager of Core Security Services Pvt Ltd. The temple’s security wing said guards Praveen Pal, Gaurav Gurjar and Madhu Nagar were on duty when the video was recorded and had been removed with immediate effect.
The video shows the devotee filming the temple premises, the kund, the sanctum corridor and the Nandi Hall. Photography and videography are prohibited in the sanctum corridor, the threshold, the Nandi Mandap and across the temple complex, according to the temple administration.
The security wing said the guards watched the devotee record the video instead of stopping him. It described the lapse as “gross negligence” and a disregard of the administration’s orders. The temple’s action places responsibility on the contracted security personnel for enforcing restrictions in areas where visitor movement and recording are controlled.
Naib Tehsildar and Assistant Temple Administrator Ashish Phalwadia said the disciplinary action followed a social media post showing a devotee filming inside the temple. When asked whether the devotee was a VIP linked to a family associated with a political party, Phalwadia did not confirm it.
The Rs 5 lakh penalty is in addition to an earlier fine imposed on the agency. The temple security wing said it had written to Core Security Services on April 20, May 29 and November 5, imposing a Rs 50,000 fine and directing the agency to prevent similar activity. The latest letter called the repeated lapse very serious.
The incident highlights the operational role of private security agencies in enforcing rules at high-footfall religious sites. While the administration has retained the photography and videography ban, the reported lapse occurred despite earlier written instructions and financial penalties issued to the agency.
Core Security Services has been directed to issue fresh and strict instructions to all its personnel. The agency has also been told to ensure that every guard deployed in restricted areas remains alert and accountable. The temple administration warned that any future lapse would make the agency fully responsible and could lead to harsher punitive and contractual action.
