Puri: A day after priests at the world-famous Jagannath temple burned posters of Vishal Bhardwaj’s latest film, ‘Kaminey’, protesting against this Shahid Kapoor starrer containing a “derogatory reference’’ to Orissa’s reigning deity, the local police on Monday filed a case against the producer of the film alleging blasphemy.

“There’s a scene in the film in which a well-known Hindi phrase, ‘Apna haath Jagannath’ (self-help is best) is written on the toilet door. A photograph of a scantily-clad woman is alongside. This desecrates the image of our revered god,’’ said Damodar Mahasuar, temple priest. Police said Kalinga Sena, a Puri based cultural outfit, had lodged an FIR, alleging blasphemy. “We have registered a case against the producer for hurting Hindu religious sentiments,’’ said Puri inspector Sudhakar Sahoo.

A few years ago, Puri’s priests had similarly targeted the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer ‘Don’ after its posters flashing a semi-nude photograph of a woman were pasted in front of the Jagannath temple. “Time and again, people are using the name and image of Jagannath for crass commercialization. Recently, a US-based website had images of Jagannath and other Hindu deities printed on women’s undergarments. A case was also registered against the company. The Jagannath temple administration and the government should take steps to curb such unholy activities,’’ Kalinga Sena convener Priyadarshan Pattnaik said.

TIMES NEWS NETWORK (THE TIMES OF INDIA; August 25, 2009)