Bhubaneswar: A tattoo of Lord Jagannath on a foreign woman’s thigh has triggered outrage in Odisha, leading to the arrest of two persons – the artist who drew the figure and his boss, a police official said.
A photo of the tattoo drawn at a parlour in Bhubaneswar went viral on social media, sparking protests by Jagannath devotees who expressed dismay after seeing the figure at an “inappropriate” place on the body.
Following the controversy, the woman who works for a non-governmental organisation and the owner of the tattoo parlour issued public apologies on social media.
A few Jagannath devotees filed a complaint with the Sahid Nagar police station on Sunday evening and a case was registered under Section 299 of BNS (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), the officer said.
Speaking to media persons, Bhubaneswar ACP (zone-5) Biswaranjan Senapati said the complainants sought legal action against the tattoo shop owner.
“During the investigation, we found that the foreign lady had visited the tattoo shop March 1. Under the instruction of the tattoo shop owner Rocky Ranjan Bisoi, Aswini Kumar Pradhan drew the tattoo on the thigh of the woman,” said Senapati.
Bisoi clicked a photo of the foreigner with the tattoo and shared it on social media, he said.
“We have arrested Rocky and Aswini and they will be produced before a court tomorrow,” the ACP added.
Subrat Mohani, one of the persons who lodged the police complaint, said, “Inking Lord Jagannath tattoo at an inappropriate place hurt our sentiments. It is an insult to all Jagannath devotees and the Hindus in general. We filed the FIR demanding legal action against those involved in this incident.”
The woman and Bisoi issued public apologies on social media.
With folded hands, the woman in a video message said, “I did not want to disrespect Lord Jagannath. I am a true devotee of Lord Jagannath and I go to temple every day. I made a mistake and for this, I am very sorry. I just asked the artist to ink the tattoo at a hidden place. I did not want to create any issue. I am very sorry for this. As soon as the tattoo area heals, I will remove it. Forgive me for my mistake.”
The tattoo parlour owner, on the other hand, said the woman had gone to his shop requesting a tattoo of Lord Jagannath on her thigh.
“Our staffers had advised her against it and suggested she get it inked on her arm instead. However, she insisted on getting it on her thigh. I sincerely apologise for this incident. I was not present at the shop at that time. The tattoo artist will either cover up the tattoo or remove it after about 25 days, as removing it now could cause infection,” the tattoo parlour owner said.
The woman has assured us that she will visit the shop again to either remove or cover up the tattoo, he said.
