Amid backlash, Zomato withdraws Hrithik Roshan-starrer 'Mahakal' advt, expresses apology
Bhopal, Aug 21: Amid a row, online food delivery firm Zomato has withdrawn the advertisement featuring actor Hrithik Roshan and apologised clarifying the Mahakal reference was for a restaurant and not the temple.
Priests of the famous Mahakaleshwar temple in Madhya Pradesh had objected to the advertisement claiming that it offended Hindu sentiments and demanded its withdrawal.
Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra had issued directives to the police to look into the controversy.
In the advertisement, Roshan says he felt like having a "thali" (food platter) in Ujjain so he ordered it from "Mahakal".
"The Hrithik Roshan starrer ad that ran in specific pin-codes of Ujjain referenced to 'thalis' at 'Mahakal Restaurant and not the revered Shree Mahakaleshwar temple. Mahakal Restaurant is one of our high-order-volume restaurant partners in Ujjain and thali is a recommended item on its menu, Zomato said in a statement issued on its Twitter handle.
The food delivery firm said that the video is part of the pan-India campaign for which Mahakal Restaurant (simplified as Mahakal) was chosen in Ujjain.
We deeply respect the sentiments of the people of Ujjain and the ad in question is no longer running. We offer our sincerest apologies, for the intent here was never to hurt anyone's beliefs and sentiments, Zomato added.
Hey, we have something to share - pic.twitter.com/gmPgiGYwGp
— zomato care (@zomatocare) August 21, 2022
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Ullal police arrest AP man for allegedly blackmailing Someshwara Municipality Revenue officer, staff
Mangaluru: The Ullal police have arrested the accused who allegedly blackmailed and threatened the revenue officer and staff of Someshwara Municipality by calling them on the phone under the guise of Lokayukta.
The accused, identified as Dhananjaya Reddy Tota (31) from Nallagutlapalli village in Andhra Pradesh, allegedly contacted the Someshwara Municipality Revenue Officer, Purushottam, via a WhatsApp call in April 2024. Posing as a Lokayukta official, he claimed there was an allegation against Purushottam and demanded money to "resolve" the issue. He threatened to cause trouble if the money was not paid.
When Purushottam verified the caller’s identity through Truecaller, the name "D. Prabhakara, Lokayukta PI" appeared. However, upon contacting Karnataka Lokayukta officials in Mangaluru, he discovered that no such officer existed.
In a similar incident, senior health inspector Alli Nair Krishna also received threatening calls from the accused, demanding money.
Investigations revealed that Dhananjaya Reddy Tota had a history of committing similar crimes in 2019, with cases registered against him at Gauribidanur Police Station in Chikkaballapur district and Shabad Police Station in Hyderabad.
A complaint was lodged, and the Ullal police, led by PSI Santosh Kumar and supported by Crime Investigation Department personnel Ranjit Kumar, Anand Badgi, and Manjunath, successfully tracked and arrested the accused.
