Chinese e-commerce platform's doormat with Jagannath image sparks outrage, SJTA lodges FIR
Bhubaneswar, Jul 31 (PTI): A major controversy erupted in Odisha after it came to light that Chinese e-commerce platform AliExpress was selling doormats featuring the image of Lord Jagannath.
Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) filed a police complaint on Thursday, stating that the act hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus around the world.
The state's Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida criticised as "offensive" the act of printing the image of Lord Jagannath on doormats and selling the products, and demanded an apology from the firm.
Taking to X, Parida said, "Mahaprabhu Jagannath is deeply connected to the soul and emotions of every Odia. I strongly condemn Chinese e-commerce platform @AliExpress_EN for selling doormats featuring Mahaprabhu Jagannath's image. @AliExpress_EN must remove the listing immediately and apologise to devotees for this offensive act."
AliExpress, in response to an X post by Odisha's Congress MLA Sofia Firdous, said that the product has been removed.
"We appreciate your report. The item has been reviewed and removed. Community input helps us improve our platform and strengthen our content checks. Thank you for helping us create a safe and friendly online shopping experience," it said.
Firdous, in her post, stated, "Strongly condemn the blasphemous act of selling doormats with the sacred image of Lord Jagannath on @AliExpress_EN. This is a grave insult to millions of devotees and a serious attack on cultural and religious sentiments. Immediate action must be taken to remove the listing and issue a public apology."
Keeping in view of the public outcry over the doormats, SJTA, a state government body managing temple affairs, filed an FIR at the Cyber police station in Puri over the matter.
"It has come to our knowledge through TV channels and social media platforms that an е-commerce site namely @AliExpress_EN is selling doormats with the sacred image of Shree Jagannath Mahaprabhu. Lord Shree Jagannath Mahaprabhu, the symbol of universal love is worshipped by Hindus. It is an insult to millions of devotees, and a serious attack on cultural and religious sentiments of the Hindus around the world," SJTA OSD (Security) Hemant Kumar Padhi stated in the FIR.
He said that people step on doormats, and hence, it hurts the religious sentiments of Hindus.
"So, it is requested to take appropriate legal action against the culprit as per the law," he said.
Eminent sand artist and Padma Shri awardee, Sudarshan Pattnaik, also condemned the act.
"Jai Jagannath. We appeal to all devotees worldwide to raise their voice against this unacceptable act. The sacred image of Mahaprabhu Jagannath on a doormat sold by @AliExpress_EN is deeply offensive. Remove it, apologise, and ensure this never happens again," he said.
Former MP and BJD leader Amar Patnaik also condemned the e-commerce platform.
"I vehemently condemn the egregious act of selling doormats with the sacred image of Lord Jagannath on AliExpress! This shameless profanity is an affront to the deepest sentiments of millions of devotees, trampling upon the revered iconography with utter disregard.
"It's a desecration of the highest order, and those responsible must be held accountable. The fact that Lord Jagannath's image is being used as a mere commodity is a stark reminder of the blatant disrespect towards Hinduism. Immediate action is imperative to rectify this egregious wrongdoing and restore dignity to the revered deity," he said.
Mahaprabhu Jagannath is deeply connected to the soul and emotions of every Odia. I strongly condemn Chinese e-commerce platform @AliExpress_EN for selling doormats featuring Mahaprabhu Jagannath’s image. @AliExpress_EN must remove the listing immediately and apologise to devotees…
— Pravati Parida (@PravatiPOdisha) July 30, 2025
Strongly condemn the blasphemous act of selling doormats with the sacred image of Lord Jagannath on @AliExpress_EN.
— Sofia Firdous (@sofiafirdous1) July 30, 2025
This is a grave insult to millions of devotees and a serious attack on cultural and religious sentiments.
Immediate action must be taken to remove the listing and…
We appreciate your report. The item has been reviewed and removed. Community input helps us improve our platform and strengthen our content checks. Thank you for helping us create a safe and friendly online shopping experience.
— AliExpress (@AliExpress_EN) July 31, 2025
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Bank account in Ramgarh tracked for fraudulent fund transactions across 24 states, 4 arrested
Ramgarh (Jharkhand) (PTI): Jharkhand police on Thursday said it has unearthed a network of interstate cyber frauds and arrested four miscreants for fraudulent transactions through a bank account in Ramgarh district after complaints of 274 suspected transactions in 24 states.
The states where complaints for fraudulent transactions were registered included Maharashtra, Karnataka, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh.
The action followed inputs received through 'Samanvaya portal', a centralised, web-based platform launched by the Union Home Ministry to curb cybercrime.
"We arrested four cyber miscreants after a current account with Kuju (Ramgarh) branch of the State Bank of India was found to have registered suspected financial transactions in 24 states with the help of the Pratibimba portal of the Home Ministry through the Samanvaya portal," Ramgarh Superintendent of Police Mukesh Kumar Lunayat said.
During the probe, police found that the account was opened under the MSME Udyam Registration scheme in the name of Shree Ganesh Enterprises, he said.
The account had been linked to as many as 274 complaints from different states related to cyber fraud and illegal fund transfers.
The registered proprietors of the enterprise were identified as Rahul Gupta (37), Ravi Kumar Verma (34), and Ajay Sharma (33), all residents of Ramgarh district, a statement from the Ramgarh police said.
During interrogation, Rahul Gupta and Ravi Kumar Verma revealed that they had opened multiple current accounts at the behest of Ritesh Agrawal alias Munna (40) and Sonu Kumar Jha (34).
They admitted receiving Rs 1.2 lakh in exchange for facilitating the opening of these accounts.
"The accused further confessed to sharing OTPs, activating mobile banking services, and handing over control of the accounts to the main operators through WhatsApp and Telegram groups. These accounts were then allegedly used to route fraudulent transactions.
Police said mobile data analysis of the accused led to the recovery of crucial digital evidence, including details of SIM cards, bank accounts, passbooks, ATM cards, QR code scanners, Aadhaar cards, and PAN cards shared through messaging platforms.
A total of four accused have been arrested so far and sent to judicial custody.
A case has been registered at the Cyber Crime Police Station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023 and Sections 66C and 66D of the Information Technology Act, 2000.
Further investigation is underway, the police said.
