A tattoo artist and his boss have been arrested amid the controversy of Lord Jagannath’s tatto on thigh of a foriegn woman who works for a non-governmentatl organisation. The image of tattoo drawn at a parlour in Bhubaneshwar went viral on social media platforms, sparking an outrage among devotees over the image at an inappropriate place on the body. However, the woman and the owner of tattoo parlour later apologised for the same on social media.

Bisoi took a photo of the foreigner with the tattoo and posted it on social media. A few Jagannath devotees filed a complaint with the Sahid Nagar police station on Sunday evening 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.

Speaking to media persons, Bhubaneswar ACP (zone-5) Biswaranjan Senapati said 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 the thigh of the woman,” said Senapati.

“We have arrested Rocky and Aswini, and they will be presented in court tomorrow,” the ACP stated. Subrat Mohani, who filed the complaint, said, “Tattooing Lord Jagannath in an inappropriate location offends our sentiments. It is an insult to all devotees of Lord Jagannath and Hindus. We filed the FIR seeking legal action against those responsible.”

The woman and Bisoi issued public apologies on social media. 

With folded hands, the woman in a video message 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 parlour owner, on the other hand, said the woman had gone to his shop requesting a tattoo of Lord Jagannath on her thigh.

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

(With PTI Inputs)