OYO sparks outrage with controversial advertisement, #BoycottOYO trends on X

Outraged users have taken to social media to protest against the advertisement, calling for a boycott of OYO.

Hyderabad: Ritesh Aggarwal-led hospitality chain OYO finds itself at the center of a storm after one of its advertisements allegedly hurt the religious sentiments of people.

Outraged users have taken to social media to protest against the advertisement, calling for a boycott of OYO.

The advertisement, published in a Hindi newspaper, carried the tagline: “Bhagwan Har Jagah Hai, Aur OYO Bhi,” which translates to “God is everywhere, so is OYO.”

However, the tagline has not gone down well with Hindu groups, who view it as an insult to God. Using #BoycottOYO on X, netizens are demanding an apology from the company and urging it to retract the controversial advertisement.

This controversy follows an earlier uproar regarding the company’s logo. Ritesh Aggarwal had previously stated that OYO’s logo was inspired by the image of the presiding deity of Puri, Lord Jagannath. According to him, the ‘O’s in OYO represent the eyes of Lord Jagannath, while the ‘Y’ symbolizes the nose.

These remarks sparked outrage among Hindu groups, who argued that using Lord Jagannath’s imagery for a hospitality brand—especially one initially marketed as an accommodation provider for unmarried couples—was inappropriate and disrespectful.

Now, the “Bhagwan Har Jagah Hai...” advertisement has further escalated tensions, placing the company in a difficult position as it attempts to manage the backlash from the previous controversy.