A local outfit on Thursday threatened to throw ink at Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan and show him the black flag when he visits the city next week during the 2018 Men's Hockey World Cup.
Hemant Rath, the chief of the outfit which calls itself 'Kalinga Sena', has demanded an apology from Khan for allegedly insulting Odisha and its people in his film 'Ashoka' that was made 17 years ago.
The outfit had also filed a complaint with the police on November 1 alleging that Khan has hurt the sentiment of Odia people and dishonoured the state's culture by portraying the Kalinga war in a wrong manner.
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The Kalinga (historical name of Odisha) war was fought in 265 BC in which Emperor Ashoka defeated the Kalinga king and the kingdom was annexed to the Mauryan empire. The war is considered one of the bloodiest battles and had prompted Ashoka to embrace Buddhism.
"We have made preparation to throw ink on the actor's face and show him black flag at any place from the airport to the stadium. Our activists will remain present all along the road where Khan is likely to visit," the press statement issued by Kalinga Sena general secretary Nihar Pani said.
Adequate security measures will be taken for Shah Rukh Khan's visit to Odisha after the Kalinga Sena threatened to throw ink on his face, the commissionerate police said on Saturday.
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The Kalinga Sena, a fringe outfit in Odisha, has threatened to throw ink on the actor's face for distorting history in his film "Ashoka" that was released 17 years ago.
It also threatened to show him black flags on his arrival during the inauguration of the Men's Hockey World cup scheduled to be held at Kalinga Stadium here on November 27.
"We will take adequate security measures for the visit of Shah Rukh Khan during hockey world cup. However, the schedule of the actor is yet to be reached," said Bhubaneswar DCP Anup Sahu.
Hemant Rath, the chief of the outfit, demanded an apology from Shah Rukh for allegedly hurting the sentiments of the Odisha people in "Asoka".
The outfit alleged that the film dishonoured the state's culture and its people by portraying the Kalinga war in a wrong manner.
(With Agency Inputs)
