Social media influencer tenders apology, removes ‘controversial’ video on Jagannath Temple

Bhubaneswar: Social media influencer Shubhankar Mishra, who has been booked for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of Lord Jagannath devotees, on Tuesday tendered an unconditional apology for his controversial video on the 12th-century shrine.

Mishra, in his YouTube channel, said that he does not have any wrong intention to spread such information on the social media platform.

“However, in an effort to inform people on the religious matters, I had done the video where it was mentioned that Shree Jagannath Temple had been cursed by Radha Rani. I collected this information from net and other sources,” he said.

“If anybody is hurt over my statement, I tender an apology. I had no such ill intentions,” he said, adding that he was a devotee of the Lord Jagannath.

Mishra said he has deleted the video and also received several suggestions from well-wishers and others regarding his video of the Shree Jagannath temple.

In the controversial video, Mishra had said, “Unmarried couples visiting the shrine could face breakups due to an alleged ‘curse’ by Radha Rani.”

A case has been lodged against Mishra at the Singhadwar Police station in Puri under section 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings) and (uttering words, making gestures, or placing objects with the deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person) of BNS.

Puri District Collector, Dibya Jyoti Parida, who is also the deputy chief administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), had said that a committee was examining the controversial video of Mishra.