A complaint has been filed against self-proclaimed ‘Mythologist’ ‘Devdutt Pattanaik in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha for attempting to instigate divide in the Hindu society on the basis of caste by spreading blatant lies, fake news about the Puri Jagannath Temple in Odisha.
Activist Anil Biswal has lodged a complaint against controversial writer Devdutt Pattanaik in the Capital Police Station in Odisha’s Bhubaneshwar for putting out false and derogatory tweets against Lord Jagannath of Puri and for hurting the religious sentiments of Jagannath devotees.
Taking to Twitter, activist Anil Biswal said Devdutt Pattanaik has spread blatant lies against the traditions of Puri Jagannath Temple, with the ill intention of creating a divide between Hindus on the basis of caste.
Filed a FIR to Capital Police of @cpbbsrctc against @devduttmyth for spreading blatant lies, fake news about Mahaprabhu #Jagannath with a ill intentions to divide the Hindu Society on basis of caste. @OpIndia_com @SwarajyaMag @mediyaannews @hindupost @dpradhanbjp @otvnews pic.twitter.com/i1pw20c0Sp
— Anil Biswal (@BiswalAnil) January 13, 2021
“It is pejorative remarks, designed intentionally to defame Jagannath Temple as well as Hindu Traditions. This person has a history of repeatedly insulting Hindu Gods and Hindu Dharma. There is no restriction on entry of any Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs to Shri Jaganath Temple,” the activist said.
Earlier, Devdutt Pattanaik had stoked a massive controversy after falsely claiming that Dalits are not allowed to enter the Puri Jagannath Temple.
Filing a complaint against Pattanaik, Biswal said that the remarks made by the self-proclaimed ‘mythologist’ are not only a false but have also been done with a clear intention in hurting religious sentiments of millions of Jagannath devotees.
He added that every day thousands of devotees of all sects, caste of Hindus including SC, ST, OBC are visiting Shree Mandir and there is no issue of any caste-based discriminations at the Puri Jagannath temple. “It is completely a false allegation that Dalits are not allowed to Shree Jagannath Temple,” he has added.
The Hindu activist asserted that contrary to propaganda peddled by the likes of Pattanaik, Jagannath culture aims at the upliftment of the poor, fallen and the downtrodden.
In his complaint, Anil Biswal has requested the Odisha Police to take appropriate action against the author under IPC Section 295A, 500, 505, & IT Act Section 67 for hurting religious sentiments of devotees.
It is notable here that Pattnaik’s tweet was condemned and called out by many Odias. The Puri Jagannath Temple does not discriminate on the basis of caste. A significant number of Sevayats are non-Brahmins.
In 2018, there were some false media reports claiming that President Ramnath Kovind was ‘mistreated’ inside the Puri Jagannath Temple due to his caste. However, those reports were false and the Rashtrapati Bhavan had denied any such incident. The President and the First Lady had visited the Temple and had Darshan near the Sanctum Sanctorum as all devotees do.
Devdutt Pattanaik: Fake news and abuses on social media
Devdutt Pattanaik has a chequered history of abusing people who do not conform to his worldview. There have been myriad instances when the so-called historian has resorted to crass remarks and vile abuses on social media websites. Pattanaik had also made fake assertions about the Citizenship Amendment Act and routinely indulges in ridiculing and abusing Hindus and Hindutva. Because of his chronically abusive behaviour and anti-Hindu antecedents, social media users have expressed their displeasure for having him invited for an event sponsored by the Indian government.
According to Nityanand Misra, an IIM graduate working in the finance industry, the self-proclaimed mythologist’s writing is not based on stories in Hindu Puranas. He also reveals that the author might be misinterpreting Sanskrit words.
Nityanand claims that Devdutt has been inventing his own stories and selling them as Hindu mythology. In addition to this, Misra says that the Pattanaik has a special hatred for Brahmins and doesn’t accept genuine criticism of his work.
On numerous occasions, Pattanaik is seen launching vile abuses and derogatory rants against anyone who disagrees with him.
