Bhubaneswar, Oct. 29: Air India (AI) today apologised for carrying incorrect information in its in-flight magazine Shubh Yatra that non-vegetarian dishes are cooked at Jagannath temple in Puri.
After protests in the state against the article, the flagship airline tweeted: "#AI apologises for the error. Our intention was not to hurt sentiments. #ShubhYatra magazine copies have been removed with immediate effect."
Using the same Twitter handle, @airindiain, the airline's CMD said: "I, #AI CMD Ashwani Lohani, offer my apologies regarding the article on #ShubhYatra. Corrective action has been taken regarding the same. Henceforth, Air India will not publish any articles by this author. The author also provided a written apology for the same."
In an article titled "Devotion can be delicious" in Air India's Shubh Yatra magazine, the author says both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes are cooked every day in the kitchen of the famous shrine.
"Said to be the largest in the country, the Jagannath Temple's kitchen in Puri since its inception has had an army of 500 cooks and 300 helpers to serve 1,00,000 people every day, round the clock - which means almost 285 varieties of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes every day," the article says.
The Sri Jagannath Temple administration's official website says the temple kitchen is able to cook for one lakh devotees every day. The mahaprasad is cooked in earthen pots on firewood. The usual items cooked are rice, dal, vegetable curry, sweet dishes and cakes. Dry sweets are prepared of sugar, gur, wheat flour, ghee, milk and cheese. The food is offered to Lord Jagannath first and then to Goddess Bimala, after which it becomes mahaprasad.
A large number of people condemned the incorrect information in the article.
"This is a most unfortunate incident," said chief minister Naveen Patnaik.
Puri Gajapati Dibya Singha Deb also condemned the article.
The state's tourism and culture minister Ashok Panda blamed the editorial section of the magazine and said they should have been more careful. "They should withdraw the magazine," he said.
The BJP demanded an apology and asked for a recall of the magazines. Party spokesperson Sajjan Sharma demanded action against the guilty.
The Jagannath Sena, an organisation working for the protection of the Jagannath culture, demonstrated and smeared black ink on the effigies of civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju and state tourism and culture minister Ashok Panda.
