FIR lodged against Asaduddin Owaisi over controversial remark on Puri’s Jagannath Temple

An FIR has been lodged against All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi over controversial remark on Puri’s Jagannath Temple.

A Puri-based socio-political outfit has lodged a complaint demanding the arrest of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi for his controversial remark on the Jagannath temple.

On Monday, the pilgrim town of Puri saw protests over Owaisi’s controversial remark on the temple.

Notably, while addressing a rally in Maharashtra’s Bhiwandi in May, the AIMIM MP had allegedly quoted Swami Vivekananda to say that the Sri Mandir was built after razing a Buddhist worship place.

The statement drew sharp reactions from the fringe political outfits amid Gyanvapi mosque row.

Talking to India Today, senior journalist Rabi Das said, "It’s a historical fact that lots of Buddhist sites were razed and Hindu temples were built over it, questions are even raised that even Lingaraj temple was built upon Buddhist sites."

“Ashoka who was the ruler of Kalinga (ancient Odisha) was himself a Buddhist King, but I don’t understand how raising that issue insults Lord Jagannath,” Das said. He added, "I am not a historian to decide whether Jagannath temple was built on Buddhists sites as told by Owaisi quoting Vivekananda."

Speaking to reporters in this regard, Jagannath Sena convener Priyadarshan Pattnaik said, “Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi is a vicious person. He wants people to indulge in confrontation over religion. According to historians, the Jagannath temple has been transformed gradually since the era of Indradyumna till Chodagangadeva.”