Hindu shrine cops beat up US tourist

PURI, India - An American tourist was allegedly beaten by Jagannath temple security men while he was trying to climb Jagannath's chariot on the second day of Rath Yatra on Friday. The incident occurred soon after the chariots of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra reached Gundicha temple in the afternoon.

The tourist, Noel Magee Hayden, said personnel of the Jagannath Temple Police (JTP), a dedicated force for the Puri shrine, waylaid and assaulted him, saying that he was a non-Hindu. Noel, however, claimed that he had converted to Hinduism long ago.