On April 30, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence’s official Twitter profile sparked outrage when it tweeted artwork that appeared to depict Goddess Kali in a distasteful manner.
Hindu users were outraged at Ukraine for disrespecting Hindu culture with the caricaturist representation of Kali Mata as the picture resembled the Kali Mata with its blue skin tone, the pose of the tongue coming out and wearing a garland of skulls around the neck.
The tweet said it is a ‘work of art’. The Twitter handle of the ‘Defence of Ukraine’ posted a picture of the Kali Mata, depicting an ‘upskirt moment’ identical to Hollywood actress Marilyn Monroe. Even the photo posted of Kali Mata had blonde hair, just like the Hollywood actress.
Social media users were outraged that Ukraine’s Defence Ministry’s official handle chose to ridicule the religious beliefs of Hindus. This didn’t fit well with Hindu users, and many of them showed displeasure with the act of Ukraine’s Defence Ministry.
A user tweeted, “I am absolutely appalled to see the Ukrainian defence handle mocking Maa Kali, a revered Hindu goddess. This is a gross display of insensitivity and ignorance. I urge them to take down the offensive content and issue an apology. Respect for all religions and beliefs is paramount”.
Another user tweeted, “Shame on you for making such cartoons and insulting our faith! Utterly disgusting attempt”.
User Rohit Kaushik stated, “Utterly shameful that an arm of the national government is indulging in such insensitive activities. You will lose whatever little credibility you have. Utterly shameful conduct”.
Another user requested the intervention of Twitter support and External Affairs Minster Dr S Jaishankar for ridiculing religious beliefs. The user said, “@TwitterSupport @DrSJaishankar , kindly take notice. This handle is mocking our deity. Officially this must be condemned and strict action taken against this person/intitution”.
User ‘Levina’ tweeted, “Absolutely Hinduphobic @MEAIndia I hope India takes action against Ukrainian Defence’s post. This is the most preposterous post I have ever seen posted by a Govt agency.”
After seeing the backlash from netizens, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence deleted the controversial tweet. But the screengrab of the post is being widely circulated.
