Following uproar over her recent visit to Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri, Youtuber Kamiya Jani on Sunday issued a clarification saying that she is a practising Hindu and has never consumed beef or promoted it.

Jani, known for Curly Tales and her food blogging, addressed the issue through a video on Instagram, clarifying that she is a practising Hindu who has never consumed or endorsed beef. She also highlighted her intention behind visiting the 12-century temple, that only allows people from Hindu faith to enter, saying she went to seek blessings of the Lord and wanted to share information about the shrine’s infrastructure.The Youtuber expressed regret that her visit had turned into a contentious matter.

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Union Minister Giriraj Singh criticized Pandian for disrespecting the sanctity of the shrine by allowing her entry in the 12th-century shrine. Singh urged immediate action against those responsible.

“By facilitating entry of a beef promoter into the revered shrine, VK Pandian has shown utmost disregard to religion, history and spirituality,” Singh wrote on X.

Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday issued a calculated statement saying, “Lord Jagannath is the centre of faith for all Odias and Sanatanis. Therefore, nothing should be done to hurt the sentiments of people, knowingly or unknowingly. No one should play with Odias’ unwavering love, devotion and reverence for the Lord.” He refrained from making any direct reference to Jani.

Meanwhile, the BJD raised questions over BJP’s objections, citing instances where the BJP government engaged Jani to create documentaries on Hindu heritage and temples, including visits to revered sites like Chardham and Ayodhya.

While Jani has issued clarifications twice so far, Pandian has distanced himself from the matter and declined to comment further, simply stating, “Jai Jagannath”.