FIR against ‘mythologist’ Devdutt Pattanaik for ‘lies about Mahaprabhu Jagannath’

Jamshedpur: An FIR has been filed in Bhubaneswar against the self-acclaimed ‘mythology’ expert and writer Devdutt Pattanaik for allegedly “spreading blatant lies, fake news about Mahaprabhu Jagannath with an ill-intention to divide the Hindu Society on the basis of caste.”

The FIR has been filed by Anil Biswal. According to his Twitter bio he has done Ph.D. in journalism. He calls himself a ‘Hindu Nationalist’ as well as a ‘Swayamsevak’ and a ‘Column Writer’.

It may be recalled that ‘mythologist’ Devdutt Pattnaik on January 3, 2021 had claimed in a tweet that ‘Dalits are not allowed to enter Puri Temple’.

His tweet had caused a storm on social media and had caused angry reactions from Hindus on Twitter.

However, that specific tweet is no longer showing on Twitter and seems to have been deleted by Devdutt Pattnaik soon after it kicked up a storm on Twitter.

Anil Biswal, the complainant, has posted on Twitter: “He posted in Twitter on 03 Jan that “Dalits are not allowed to enter Puri Jagannath Temple” which is not only a false narrative but also in a clear intention in hurting religious sentiments of millions of Jagannath devotees.”

He also added: “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.”

He further said in another tweet: “Daily thousands of devotees of all community of Hindus including SC, ST, OBC, General are visiting Shree Mandir. There is no issue of any caste based discriminations in Shree Mandir. So it is completely a false allegation that Dalits are not allowed to Shree Jagannath Temple.”

He also added: “Jagannath culture aims at the upliftment of the poor, fallen and the downtrodden. All are allowed to enter the temple if they are in the folds of Hindu. So, we request @cpbbsrctc @dcpbbsr to take appropriate action against under IPC Section 295A, 500, 505, & IT Act Section 67.”

Devdutt Pattnaik has been criticised for undermining Hinduism by terming its philosophical roots as ‘myths’. He is also considered as one who is very close to Wendy Doniger school of Indology.

Famous Hindu writer and philosopher Rajiv Malhotra has called out Devdutt Pattnaik as one among those who ‘subvert Hinduism while seeming to help it.”

He also calls him a ‘sepoy of Wendy’ and advises Hindus to be on guard against ‘subtle’ attempts to denigrate their religion and prove it as something ‘mythical’ and not ‘real’.

Devdutt Pattnaik’s bio reads as: “Devdutt Pattanaik is an Indian mythologist, speaker, illustrator and author, known for his writing on sacred lore, legends, folklore, fables and parables. His work focuses largely on the areas of myth, religion, mythology, and management.”

Devdutt Pattnaik has been in the news for his controversial remarks on Hindu religion and deities. He has had several fracas with ‘Hindus’ on Twitter and other social media platforms for his controversial remarks.