‘Will cover it up after healing,’ says foreign woman who engraved Lord Jagannath tattoo on thigh

Two accused persons were taken into custody by Commissionerate Police in Bhubaneswar from Sahid Nagar locality of the Capital City on Monday following a contentious issue surrounding a tattoo of Lord Jagannath engraved on the thigh of a foreign woman.

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The arrested are tattoo shop owner Rocky Ranjan Bisoyi and the tattoo artist Aswini Kumar Pradhan. The duo was forwarded to a local court later in the day.

According to sources, arrest of the tattoo parlour owner and artist was carried out amid complaints from devotees who felt their religious sentiments had been offended by the tattoo, which depicted Lord Jagannath on the thigh of a foreign national.

Police have charged the accused duo under sections pertaining to hurting religious feelings, a senior cop of Sahid Nagar Police Station expressed.

Reacting to the controversy, apologies have been issued both by the foreign national who bore the tattoo and the tattoo parlour owner.

Tattoo studio owner and the foreign lady apologise

“A mistake has been committed in my studio. A foreign lady had requested us to engrave a tattoo of Lord Jagannath on her thigh saying that she likes the deity very much. Initially, my artist refused to do so, but later engraved the tattoo,” the shop owner said.

“I apologise before all, on behalf of my artist, for the mistake. I have asked her (the female client) to cover up. As it cannot be carried out immediately anticipating infection, she has assured me to remove the tattoo after a month,” the shop owner added.

“I made a mistake and asked the tattoo artist to engrave it on my hidden part. I am very sorry for it. As soon as it heals, I will cover it up. Forgive me for my mistake and I deeply regret,” through a video message, the foreign national stated.

Worth mentioning, a tattoo depicting Lord Jagannath on the foreigner’s thigh had previously sparked significant outrage across Odisha. The woman, whose identity remains undisclosed, was seen exhibiting a tattoo of the deity on her thigh.

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The bizarre incident ignited a controversy, following cultural sensitivity issues being raised by Jagannath devotees. The tattoo was perceived as disrespectful to religious beliefs.