Padmaavat Protests: Despite the court ruling, protesters have not backed down.The Karni Sena has vowed to burn theatres that screen Padmaavat. The protesters believe that the film distorts history and shows Rani Padmini, a legendary Rajput Queen renowned for her beauty, in poor light.
A day before Padmaavat’s release, security has been increased outside theatres in Gujarat and Rajasthan
NEW DELHI: After the top court’s unequivocal order yesterday rejecting the final attempts by Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh to ban the film ‘Padmaavat”, protests against the release of the movie turned violent. Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra stressed “People can’t come and say law and order problems, ban the movie. Let us not come to a state where the exhibition of a movie, despite certified by the censor board, is crippled.” Groups of people vandalised shops at a mall and a cinema hall in Ahmedabad and targeted vehicles parked. Nearly a dozen two-wheelers, many of them belonging to a fast-food chain, were gutted. Section 144 has also been imposed in Gurgaon till Sunday to maintain law and order. Police also had to fire two shots in the air to disperse the mob. The Karni Sena, which has been spearheading the protests against the film, responded to a letter by Sanjay Leela Bhansali productions and disclosed that a six member panel would watch the film before its release as proposed by the filmmakers. Police presence has been beefed up a day ahead of the film’s release.
The period drama stars Deepika Padukone as Queen Padmini, Shahid Kapoor as king Ratan Singh and Ranveer Singh as Sultan Alauddin Khilji, who leads an invasion to try to capture the queen. A year ago, members of the Karni Sena attacked the film’s director Sanjay Leela Bhansali and vandalised the set during filming in Rajasthan. They alleged that the film showed a romance between Queen Padmini and Khilji, which the makers have emphatically denied.
Here are the LIVE updates of the controversy surrounding ‘Padmaavat’:
Jan 24, 2018
19:52 (IST)
Horror On A School Bus In Gurgaon, Attacked By Mob Protesting Padmaavat
Little children crouched on the floor, some with their hands clamped on their mouth in fear, as a mob protesting against the film Padmaavat threw rocks at their school bus in Gurgaon near Delhi.
Jan 24, 2018
19:24 (IST)
Bars, pubs will not be shut, say police officials
Bars and pubs will not be shut in wake of protests ahead of the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s controversial film ‘Padmaavat’ tomorrow, Gurgaon Deputy Commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh has confirmed. He made the statement while denying reports that the bars and pubs have been ordered shut, reported news agency PTI.
Jan 24, 2018
19:19 (IST)
Roads blocked, vehicles damaged by protestors in Rajasthan
Rajasthan witnessed a spate of protests with protesters from fringe outfits taking out rallies, blocking roads and damaging vehicles in different parts of the state, a day before the release of Padmaavat. Members of the Karni Sena damaged windows of two state roadways buses and blocked a road in Kalwar area in state capital Jaipur.
Jan 24, 2018
19:16 (IST)
Protesters throw stones at a bus of GD Goenka School carrying children near Bhondsi
Jan 24, 2018
19:15 (IST)
School Bus Attacked In Gurgaon
A school bus was attacked, a state roadways bus was burnt and roads were blocked as protesters took to the streets, demanding that the movie not be screened.
Jan 24, 2018
18:26 (IST)
Roads blocked, vehicles damaged by protestors in Rajasthan
Rajasthan witnessed a spate of protests with protesters from fringe outfits taking out rallies, blocking roads and damaging vehicles in different parts of the state, a day before the release of Padmaavat. Members of the Karni Sena damaged windows of two state roadways buses and blocked a road in Kalwar area in state capital Jaipur.
Jan 24, 2018
17:42 (IST)
Clubs and bars in Gurugram to remain shut from 7 pm today
Clubs and bars in Gurugram have been ordered to remain closed from 7 pm on 24th January till further order in the light of protests against the release of the film Padmavaat, reported news agency ANI. Orders have also been issued for action against defaulters.
Jan 24, 2018
17:08 (IST)
Will not screen ‘Padmaavat’, say theatre owners in Gujarat
Theatre owners in Gujarat today said ‘Padmaavat’ will not be screened in any of the multiplexes or single screens in the state till the row over the film is resolved, even as police arrested 50 people in connection with the violence outside malls last night, news agency PTI reported. The Gujarat Multiplex Owners Association said the decision has been taken for the safety of customers as well as to save their property.
Jan 24, 2018
16:19 (IST)
Padmavat Row: Day Before Padmaavat Release, Arson, Protests In 4 States: 10 Facts
A day before the release of “Padmaavat”, groups like Karni Sena, which have vowed to block the film in defiance of Supreme Court orders, intensified their protests that started last evening. Violence and protests were reported from parts of Haryana, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh — the states that had initially banned the movie. In Etawah, Uttar Pradesh, police lathicharged protesters who damaged vehicles and forced shops to shut down. Several vehicle owners were injured. The Delhi-Jaipur highway was blocked by protesters. The Karni Sena has asked social organisations across the country to ensure that the movie can’t be screened.
Jan 24, 2018
16:04 (IST)
Protestors torch bus in Haryana’s Sohna Road
A bus was torched in Haryana’s Sohna road today in protest against the release of Padmaavat. Protestors also pelted stones while agitating against the Sanjay Leela Bhansali film which is to release tomorrow.
Haryana: Protesters torched a bus & pelted stones at #Gurugram‘s Sohna Road in protest against #Padmaavat
Jan 24, 2018
14:05 (IST)
Police have detained around 50 supporters of Karni Sena in Mumbai for protesting against the film ‘Padmaavat’ according to PTI reports.
Jan 24, 2018
14:03 (IST)
Karni Sena also threatens CBFC chief Prasoon Joshi to not come to Rajasthan. A warning has been issued to him that, ” We will do to him what we did to Sanjay Leela Bhansali.” As the film will release tomorrow it’ll also mark the beginning of Jaipur Literature Festival, which will be attended by Prasoon Joshi.
Jan 24, 2018
13:50 (IST)
Rajput Karni Sena chief Lokendra Singh Kalvi also says,” cinema hall owners in Rajasthan are double minded. We will not allow the screening of the film in Rajasthan. I maybe be arrested anytime soon. I prayed at the Gandhi Samadhi for the strength to fight Padmaavat.”
Jan 24, 2018
13:47 (IST)
Rajput Karni Sena chief Lokendra Singh Kalvi addressing the press conference says, “We are adamant on our stand that this film Padmavaat should be banned and there should be a self imposed curfew by people.”
Jan 24, 2018
13:41 (IST)
Protests intensify against the screening of Padmaavat across states. Protesters stop train at Bhuteshwar in Mathura.
Jan 24, 2018
13:36 (IST)
In Rajasthan’s Sikar a bus has been stoned in the protests. Tyres have been burnt in the Ajmer-Jaipur highway.
Jan 24, 2018
13:30 (IST)
Over 35 supporters of Karni Sena, protesting against ‘Padmaavat’ detained in Mumbai according to PTI reports.
Jan 24, 2018
13:19 (IST)
Protesters block Gurgaon’s Wazirpur-Patudi road agitating against the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat tomorrow. Section 144 had also been imposed in Gurgaon till Sunday to maintain law and order.
Jan 24, 2018
13:08 (IST)
Police have arrested the Chittorgarh unit chief Govind Singh Khangarot, after he declared that over 1,900 women of the community are “ready” to commit “jauhar” or mass immolation as part of protests over the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “Padmaavat”.
Jan 24, 2018
12:49 (IST)
Security has been beefed up outside multiplexes in the city after incidents of violence have been reported in several other areas.
Jan 24, 2018
11:39 (IST)
Rajasthan distributors voluntarily decide not to screen Padmaavat.
Jan 24, 2018
11:28 (IST)
Heavy police patrolling due to threats of radical groups like the Jauhar Shatrani Manch who had threatened to ‘sacrifice’ themselves today.
Jan 24, 2018
11:27 (IST)
Chittor Fort has been closed today for the second time in the history of the UNESCO world heritage site. The fort was sealed last night as Karni Sena tried to enter inside.
Jan 24, 2018
11:10 (IST)
Supreme Court refuses to give an urgent hearing to a plea filed by lawyer, Manohar Lal Sharma, seeking deletion of certain scenes from film Padmaavat. The court will hear the matter on Monday, according to ANI reports.
Jan 24, 2018
11:07 (IST)
Ahmedabad police commissioner A.K. Singh said, “Incidents took place at three to four locations simultaneously. Police have managed to stop protesters from entering multiplexes and malls.48 people were picked up last night from various locations under act of rioting. Key conspirators identified after interrogation and 4 FIRs have been registered.”
Jan 24, 2018
10:24 (IST)
Visuals from Himalaya Mall in Ahmedabad where groups vandalised shops at the mall and burnt vehicles last night.
Jan 24, 2018
10:06 (IST)
In most cities of Rajasthan where the protests against the 190-crore movie had originated, Karni Sena said they were reaching out to cinema hall owners to give the movie a pass.
- In Rajasthan, distributors refused to screen “Padmaavat” citing the protests. Besides Delhi-Jaipur highway, traffic was hit on Delhi-Ajmer highway as protestrs burnt tyres. In Sikar, a bus was stoned. The Chittor Fort was shut down for the second time in its centuries-old history after Karni Sena members tried to break in.
- In Haryana’s Gurgaon, protesters attacked a school bus and torched a state transport bus, and blocked roads. Many cinema hall owners have said they will not screen the film.
- In Indore district of Madhya Pradesh, nearly 200 protesters blocked the National Highway 3, which links Agra and Mumbai. The police said the protesters broke glass bottles to stop traffic movement on the road. Around 50 Karni Sena activists also burnt an effigy of Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the film’s director.
- In Lucknow, protests were held outside a mall. Claiming they do not belong to any organisation, the protesters said if hall owners don’t agree to their “request” and stop screening the movie, they would “anything that is required”. In Etawah, police lathicharged protesters who damaged vehicles and forced shops to shut down. Several vehicle owners were injured.
- In Mumbai, the police arrested 30 Karni Sena workers as a preventive measure; 44 others were arrested in Gujarat capital Ahmedabad.
- Karni Sena chief Lokendra Singh Kalvi said the Rajput organisation won’t allow the release of the film. “January 25 may come and go but we won’t let the film release, come what may,” he said.
- Protests against the film had turned increasingly violent from Tuesday evening, with arson and vandalism reported from Ahmedabad and parts of Uttar Pradesh.
- Today, 50 people were arrested in connection with the violence in Ahmedabad, where the police had to open fire on Tuesday night as a mob burnt nearly two-wheelers and smashed shop windows outside malls.
- Yesterday, the Supreme Court rejected a final attempt by Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh governments to ban the movie. “It’s an order, better abide by it. You (states) can advise people not to watch the movie,” the judges said.
- The protesters believe the film distorts history and shows Rani Padmini, the legendary queen of Chittor, in a poor light. The film, starring Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapur, was cleared by the censor board after a number of edits and a change of title from Padmavati to Padmaavat.
- https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/day-before-padmaavats-release-high-alert-at-cinemas-in-3-states-1803980
January 26, 2018 at 4:30 pm
The protests by fringe group elements are against court ruling and so, are unlawful. The government must take action