Odisha police to increase security for Shah Rukh Khan's visit following Kalinga Sena's threats to actor

The commissionerate police on 24 November said that adequate security measures will be taken for the visit of Shah Rukh Khan to Odisha after the Kalinga Sena threatened to throw ink on his face. [caption id=“attachment_4360009” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Shah Rukh Khan. Image via Reuters[/caption] The Kalinga Sena, a fringe outfit in Odisha, has threatened to throw ink on the actor’s face for distorting history in his film Asoka 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 27 November. “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. The Kalinga war fought in 265 BC is considered to be one of the bloodiest battles fought which led to the defeat of the Kalinga ruler and the annexation of the region by the Maurya empire. Directed by Santosh Sivas and starring Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan, Asoka which released in 2001 did not run in Odisha for more than seven days due to several protests. (With inputs from Indo-Asian News Service)