Odisha Tattoo Artist Arrested for Inking Lord Jagannath on Foreigner’s Thigh – Controversy Explained
A tattoo artist in Odisha was arrested for inking Lord Jagannath on a foreigner’s thigh, sparking outrage among devotees. Find out what happened, legal actions taken, and the reactions from all sides.
kowshik Reddy
In Bhubaneswar, Odisha, a tattoo artist has been arrested for tattooing a picture of Lord Jagannath on the thigh of an Italian woman, spewing anger among local devotees.
The Italian national works with an NGO based in Odisha's Kandhamal region, upon a request of tattooing his body the figure of Lord Jagannath as the ideals in herself. Local devotees found it amiss that the tattoo was done on the woman's thigh, hence accusing of religious insensitivity. Images of the tattoo with the owner of the tattoo parlour went viral on social media and amplified the fracas.
Legal Actions Taken
Both owner of the parlour, Rocky Ranjan Bisoi, and tattoo artist, Aswini Kumar Pradhan, were arrested under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita promoting enmity between different groups and deliberate acts intended to outrage religious feelings.
The authorities, however, according to them, do not intend to take any legal action against the Italian woman since she is assumed unaware of any cultural-sensitivity issues related. She was, however, advised to remove the tattoo. Bisoi publicly apologized for saying which tattoo was done at the request and regretted hurting devotees. Her devotion to Lord Jagannath, and there was no intention to offend anyone, is the Italian woman. As soon as the tattoo heals, she has said, she will have the tattoo removed.
