Row Over Lord Jagannath Tattoo On Foreign Woman’s Thigh: Parlour Owner Held In Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: The owner of a tattoo parlour was arrested by the police in Bhubaneswar after a tattoo of Lord Jagannath on the thigh of a foreign woman triggered widespread outrage in Odisha.

Sources said the Commissionerate Police arrested Rocky Ranjan Bishoyi, owner of ‘Rocky Tattooz’, in connection with the incident. The foreign woman had reportedly got the controversial tattoo made at his parlour.

Based on a complaint filed by the Hindu Sena outfit, the Saheed Nagar police registered a case under Section 299 of the BNS (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and arrested Rocky.

It may be noted that the incident sparked protest from different quarters after the woman was seen showing the image at a tattoo parlour in Bhubaneswar.

The incident led to protests by devotees and several organisations, as they alleged that it hurt the religious sentiments of people in the state and outside.

Activists of the Hindu Sena have lodged a formal complaint at the Saheed Nagar Police Station in the capital city, alleging that the act amounted to an insult to Lord Jagannath and the devotees. They demanded stringent action against the owner of the tattoo shop.

Following the controversy, the owner of the tattoo shop where the incident occurred, along with the foreign woman, tendered apology by releasing videos on social media.

The owner of the parlour reportedly stated that the foreign woman approached an artist at his shop requesting a tattoo of Lord Jagannath on her thigh. Though the staff advised her against it and suggested placing it on her hand instead, the woman insisted on getting it on her thigh. “I sincerely apologise for this incident. I was not present at the shop when it happened,” said Rocky.

He said the artist will either cover up or remove the tattoo after around 25 days and the woman has also agreed to visit the shop for this.

The foreign woman also expressed regret and said she never intended to be disrespectful as she herself is a devotee of Lord Jagannath.

Initially, a photo of the woman displaying the tattoo was posted on the Instagram account of the tattoo shop but it was deleted following widespread criticism.