Baripada: Mayurbhanj Collector Vineet Bhardwaj and Collector B. Gangadhar have sparked a controversy as the two officials were reportedly spotted wearing T-shirts bearing the photo of Odisha Chief Minister and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik at an event here, yesterday.

The Collector and the SP were sporting the T-shirts during a mini marathon organized by the Mayurbhanj Special Development Council, reports said.

As photos of the incident surfaced on various social media platforms, it evoked sharp reactions from netizens and political leaders.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), BJP MP from Bhubaneswar, Aparajita Sarangi termed it 'unfortunate' and 'ridiculous'. The parliamentarian described the matter as degeneration of the official standards.

"Very unfortunate as well as ridiculous! Degeneration of the official standards to this extent. These officials must know that SEASON IS NOT THE SAME ALWAYS," she posted.