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Even as Sanjay Leela Bhansali prepares to release his magnum opus Padmaavat on Thursday, 25 January, protests across the country by the Karni Sena intensified from Wednesday itself. This despite the Supreme Court’s reiteration on Tuesday to maintain law and order.
Karni Sena chief Lokendra Singh Kalvi on Wednesday, 24 January, said that the Rajput community was still unhappy with the film, demanding it be banned.
We are adamant on our stand that Padmaavat should be banned, there should be a self-imposed curfew by the people.Lokendra Singh Kalvi, Karni Sena chief
Dhaba Vandalised in Madhya Pradesh’s Dewas
Members of various organisations vandalised a 'dhaba' located at the Maxi bypass in Dewas, in protest against Padmaavat, protesters removed from the spot after police intervention, ANI reported. Dewas is located on the Malwa plateau in the west-central part of Madhya Pradesh.
Swords Out at Bihar’s Muzaffarpur
Protestors brandished swords and burnt tyres at Bihar’s Muzaffarpur ahead of the release.
Car Set Ablaze in Bhopal
A car caught fire during anti-Padmaavat protests in Bhopal on Wednesday, 24 January, with the police saying they were investigating whether the protesters torched the vehicle.
The car went up in flames at Jyoti Talkies Square, one of the busiest crossings in Bhopal. The protesters were trying to stage a road blockade when the incident took place.
Fire tenders were rushed to the spot to douse the flames.
Talking to PTI, Bhopal Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Dharmendra Choudhary said, "A car caught fire during the protests. It is a matter of investigation whether the vehicle was torched or it caught fire. We have detained three protesters from Jyoti Talkies Square in connection of the same."
Another police officer claimed that the car belonged to one of the protesters.
Ticket Counters Vandalised in Jammu
There were protests in Jammu too. Ticket counters of a cinema hall in Jammu were vandalised. According to eyewitnesses, the protesters raised slogans against Padmaavat.
25 Vehicles Torched in Ahmedabad, Gujarat
At least 25 vehicles were set on fire by protesting groups in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, 23 January, over the film’s release.
The protest, which initially started out as a silent march in Gandhinagar, turned violent after agitated members pelted stones at a cinema hall, and set vehicles parked nearby on fire.
The protesters then moved to Himalaya Mall on Drive-In Road and torched vehicles parked outside. Ahmedabad Commissioner of Police, AK Singh, said legal action will be taken against the protesters.
The police resorted to firing in the air in order to disperse the mob.
In Rajkot, people reportedly attempted to stop a train in Devbhumi. All travel in the district will remain closed from 6 am to 9 pm on Thursday.
On Wednesday, over 30 people were arrested from Mumbai and 45 persons from Ahmedabad were detained in connection with the riots.
Highways Blocked in Rajasthan, Protests Near Chittorgarh Fort
The Jaipur-Delhi highway was blocked on Wednesday by protesters from the Karni Sena and other groups, who set tyres on fire. On Thursday, the roads in the city were blocked by protesting mobs, causing a hindrance to the people.
According to NDTV, sporadic incidents of violence was also reported from Sikar, where stones were pelted at a bus.
Meanwhile, the police arrested Chittorgarh unit chief of the Karni Sena after its spokesperson 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 Padmaavat.
Protests have broken out in Chittorgarh in the area near Chittorgarh Fort on Wednesday, adding to the scores of protests against the movie in the state. Protesters burned tyres and shouted slogans in the area near the Chittorgarh fort against the release of the film.
Gurugram Becomes the Centre of Protests in Haryana
As a school bus was dropping students back home on Wednesday, it was subjected to the violence caused by the protesters who are rioting against the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat.
In a video found on Twitter, frightened students of GD Goenka School, Gurugram are seen crouching under the seats of the school bus to avoid getting hurt. In the video, the windows of the bus are seen broken, probably from the stone pelting by the goons protesting for ‘Rajput pride’. As the students break into tears in fear, their teachers are seen trying to calm them.
Following the harrowing attack on the school bus, parents on Thursday were seen dropping their children off at various Delhi schools. Speaking to ANI, a parent said:
There is panic, if school bus can be attacked in Gurugram then can happen in Delhi also, even here there are cinema halls near schools, so have come to drop my child to school myself.
Protests broke out in Gurugram’s Sohna Road on Wednesday. Protesting goons hurled petrol bombs, torched buses, vandalised public property and pelted stones at Sohna Road in protest against the movie’s release.
Protesters had earlier taken to blocking roads in Gurugram by barricading them with burning tyres. The Wazirpur-Pataudi road became a playground for protesters.
Wazirpur-Pataudi road.
(Photo: ANI)
The police has imposed Section 144 in the district, in view of the continued protests. People carrying weapons or ‘any other destructive materials’ have been banned within a 200 metre-radius of a cinema hall.
Outbursts in Uttar Pradesh
Multiple instances of protests were reported from Uttar Pradesh, with the police tightening security all over the state ahead of the film’s release.
In Mathura, agitators stopped trains at the Bhuteshwar railway station, with the police coming down hard on the protesting mob.
In Lucknow, the police have taken to tightening their forces outside cinema halls like ‘Waves’ to prevent any untoward incidents of violence from occurring.
In Hapur, a cinema hall was vandalised by protesters.
In Agra and Hathras too protests were held by groups unhappy with the content of the film. In Barabanki town, Muslims protested against the movie's release and burnt an effigy of filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali and its posters.
According to India Today, eight persons were taken into custody after a UP Roadways bus was vandalised in Ghaziabad over Padmaavat’s release.
Protesters took to the roads in Telangana’s Hyderabad as well, demanding a ban on the film.
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