BHUBANESWAR: Panic gripped Puri after alarming messages threatening a potential terror strike on the Jagannath temple were found scrawled on a wall near the 12th-century shrine on Wednesday. The graffiti, written in both Odia and English, was found on the wall of another shrine close to the Heritage Corridor, also known as Parikrama Marg, just outside the Jagannath temple.The messages, which were quickly removed by locals, included a reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, further heightening the urgency of the situation for police authorities. The messages read, “Terrorists will attack and destroy the Jagannath temple,” and were accompanied by several phone numbers with an instruction to ‘call’.Additionally, several decorative lights in the Heritage Corridor site were found damaged, adding to the tension. The incident, which occurred in an area under constant surveillance with numerous CCTV cameras and a continuous police presence, drew sharp criticism from servitors and devotees alike.“The incident has raised serious questions about the vigilance of the police and security infrastructure at the temple. Even though the temple and its periphery are a highly sensitive zone, miscreants showed the audacity and wrote the threatening messages,” Shyama Mohapatra, a servitor, said.“In a serious security breach recently, some unknown men scaled the temple’s outer wall and gained unauthorised entry. They have not been identified yet. We are deeply concerned after the fresh incident. It is disturbing that such messages could be written in a place that is supposed to be under constant watch,” Renubala Tripathy, a local devotee, said.Police launched an investigation to identify those responsible for the graffiti. Officers, who suspect the messages may have been written as a prank or act of mischief, are reviewing footage from operational cameras in hopes of identifying the culprits. “We are taking this matter very seriously. The safety of the temple and devotees is our top priority,” stated a senior police officer.