Bhubaneswar, July 14 -- Former Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik today took strong exception to reports of hurling of eggs at devotees during Rath Yatra celebrations in Canada's Toronto.
If media reports are accurate, the Odisha government must take the matter seriously, said Patnaik while seeking intervention of the Ministry of External Affairs to register a strong protest with the Canadian authorities, stated Patnaik.
The incident, which came to the fore after Instagram user Sangna Bajaj shared a video of the procession with broken eggs splattered on the sidewalks, sparked accusations of racism and xenophobia.
"Such incidents not only grievously hurt the sentiments of Lord Jagannath's devotees worldwide,
but also cause deep anguish...