Lord Jagannath tattoo on foreign woman’s thigh sparks outrage in Odisha

A few Jagannath devotees filed a complaint with the police and a case was registered under Section 299 of BNS

Bhubaneswar: A tattoo of Lord Jagannath on a foreign woman’s thigh has triggered an outrage in Odisha, leading to the registering of a police case against her.

A photo of the woman’s tattoo, which she had inked at a parlour in Bhubaneswar, went viral on social media, triggering protests by Jagannath devotees, a police officer said, adding she works for a non-governmental organisation.

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A few Jagannath devotees filed a complaint with the Sahid Nagar police station on Sunday 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.

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.”

Following the controversy, the foreign national and the owner of the tattoo parlour issued public apologies on social media.

With folded hands, the woman, in a video, 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 shop owner said the woman had approached his shop requesting a tattoo of Lord Jagannath on her thigh.

“Our staffers had advised her against it and suggested she got 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.