Security has been beefed up ahead of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s visit to Odisha for the Men’s Hockey World Cup which will take place in Bhubaneswar from November 28 to December 16. Chief minister Naveen Patnaik himself had extended the invitation and had even thanked him on Twitter for accepting the same.
“The promo of the #HWC2018 anthem #JayHindIndia has caught the imagination of all sports lovers and special thanks to @iamsrk who is coming to #Odisha to immortalise the #OdishaWorldCupAnthem created by @arrahman for all hockey fans. Thank you,” he had tweeted.
However, amidst all the welcome preparations, a local outfit by the name Kalinga Sena has threatened to throw ink at Shah Rukh and show him the black flag when he steps foot in Odisha. Hemant Rath, the chief has demanded an apology from him for allegedly insulting the state and hurting the sentiment of Odia people by portraying the Kalinga war in a wrong manner in his film Asoka that was made 17 years ago. In a press statement, Kalinga Sena general secretary Nihar Pani said,”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 outfit has also filed a complaint with the police and held a rally here to burnt SRK’s effigy as a mark of protest. Ashoka, which was released in 2001, could not run in the theatres in the state for more than seven days due to objections.
Along with SRK, reportedly the opening ceremony will also see a live performance from AR Rahman and Madhuri Dixit who is expected to perform.
