Odisha artist arrested for inking Hindu deity on foreign national’s thigh, stirring controversy

The owner and artist of a tattoo studio in Odisha's Bhubaneswar have been arrested for inking the image of Lord Jagannath on a customer's thigh. The row erupted after devotees of the Hindu deity alleged their sentiments were hurt following this incident. The tattoo was inked on a foreign national's thigh. Devotees said it was an unsuitable place to ink the deity's image.

The incident came to light when the tattoo studio posted a video of the tattoo as WhatsApp status, which is a common practice these days to exhibit art on the platform. But this particular episode irked people, thus leading to the filing of a complaint. Bhubaneswar Police have taken cognisance of the incident that took place on Sunday (March 2). A case has been registered against the owner and the artist for defaming Lord Jagannath under Sections 196, 299, and 305 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

"The owner of a tattoo shop located in Saheed Nagar shared a video on his social media of a woman of foreign nationality getting a tattoo of Lord Jagannath on her thigh. The sentiments of devotees got hurt. The owner of the tattoo shop, Rocky, and his assistant have been arrested by the police," Biswaranjan Senapati, Bhubaneswar Assistant Commissioner of Police, told news agency ANI.

After the row, the lady released a statement that was posted from the artist's social media account. She said, “I did not want to be disrespectful. I’m a true devotee of Lord Jagannath. I go to the temple every day. I made a mistake, and for this, I’m very sorry. I just asked the artist to ink the tattoo in a hidden place. I didn’t want to create any situation. I’m very sorry for this. As soon as the tattoo area heals, I will have it removed. Forgive me for my mistake.”

View this post on Instagram

Jagannath Temple, located in Odisha's Puri, is known for its spiritual and cultural significance; it is one of the revered religious places in Hinduism. It is one of the four sacred pilgrimage sites where people from across the globe come to visit every year. In the east of India, it is the Jagannath Puri temple; in the west, it is Gujarat's Dwarkadhish temple, the Rameswaram temple in Tamil Nadu, and in the north of India, it is the Badrinath temple in Uttarakhand.