Police in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, arrested the owner and an assistant of a tattoo parlour on Monday after a tattoo of Lord Jagannath was created on a foreign national’s thigh, sparking outrage among Hindu devotees.
The incident occurred on Sunday when the foreign national visited the tattoo shop and requested a tattoo of Lord Jagannath, according to Bhubaneswar Assistant Commissioner of Police (Zone-5), Biswaranjan Senapati. The tattoo, which was placed on the woman’s thigh, became controversial after the tattoo parlour owner shared a video of the process on social media.
“The tattoo shop owner from Saheed Nagar posted a video on his social media showing a foreign woman receiving a tattoo of Lord Jagannath on her thigh. This hurt the sentiments of Hindu devotees,” Senapati said. “As a result, the shop owner, Rocky, and his assistant have been arrested.”
While the controversy escalated, police clarified that no action was taken against the foreign woman involved in the incident.
Following the viral video shared via WhatsApp, the police filed a case under Sections 196, 299, and 305 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), charging both the tattoo parlour owner and the artist with defaming Lord Jagannath.
This incident has sparked further tension due to the cultural and religious significance of the Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha, where Lord Jagannath is a highly revered deity.
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