Foreign woman in trouble in Odisha as Lord Jagannath tattoo on thigh sparks outrage; 2 arrested
Bhubaneswar: A tattoo of Lord Jagannath inked on a foreign woman’s thigh has triggered outrage in Odisha, leading to the arrest of two individuals—the tattoo artist and his employer—police said on Sunday.
A photo of the tattoo, drawn at a parlour in Bhubaneswar, went viral on social media, sparking protests from Jagannath devotees who condemned its placement as "inappropriate."
Following public outrage, the woman, who works for a non-governmental organisation, and the tattoo parlour owner issued public apologies on social media.
A few Jagannath devotees filed a complaint at Sahid Nagar police station on Sunday evening, after which a case was registered under Section 299 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which pertains to deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious sentiments.
Bhubaneswar ACP (Zone-5) Biswaranjan Senapati stated that the complainants sought legal action against the tattoo shop owner.
“During the investigation, we found that the foreign lady had visited the tattoo shop on March 1. Under the instruction of the tattoo shop owner Rocky Ranjan Bisoi, Aswini Kumar Pradhan drew the tattoo on her thigh,” Senapati said.
Bisoi reportedly took a photo of the woman with the tattoo and shared it on social media, further fuelling the controversy.
“We have arrested Rocky and Aswini, and they will be produced before a court tomorrow,” the ACP added.
Devotees demand action
Subrat Mohani, one of the complainants, said the placement of the tattoo was offensive to Jagannath devotees and Hindus in general.
"Inking Lord Jagannath's tattoo at an inappropriate place hurt our sentiments. It is an insult to all Jagannath devotees and Hindus in general. We filed the FIR demanding legal action against those involved in this incident," he said.
Public apologies issued
Both the woman and Bisoi later issued public apologies.
With folded hands, the woman apologised in a video message, saying, "I did not want to disrespect Lord Jagannath. I am a true devotee and visit the temple every day. I made a mistake, and 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. As soon as the tattoo area heals, I will remove it. Forgive me for my mistake."
The tattoo parlour owner claimed that his staff had advised the woman against getting the tattoo on her thigh and suggested she have 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," he said.
The woman has assured that she will return to the parlour to either remove or cover up the tattoo.
With PTI inputs