Kids Attacked, Police Manhandled, Theatres Vandalised Over 'Rani Padmavati'

The release of the movie Padmavati met with massive protests with a candle march by Karni Sena, following which the city of Ahmedabad burned on Tuesday night. Multiplexes and standalone theatre shared a similar fate under the flames. The malls, Acropolis, Ahmedabad One and Himalaya Mall along with the standalone theatre Cinemex, bore the brunt and burn of the protest against the film.

Parking lots of the malls witnessed the burning of at least 200 motorcycles and several other vehicles, as reported by The Times of India. Smokescreens of security promised by the Gujarat Government flitted with the flames of violence.

Deputy CM Nitin Patel echoed the protesting voices of Karni Sena stating, “We had banned Padmaavat’s release respecting feelings of the Rajput community. However, there is tension in the state, and the present situation is because of the Supreme Court order allowing its release. We feel that people should voluntarily boycott the film,” reported The Times of India.

Vandalism

The enraged crowd after holding a candle light march across SG Road, torched the vehicles and damaged the malls with unprecedented brutality. The CCTV cameras of the malls caught fire and the Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services (AFES) teams were sent to multiple locations to douse the fire. Commissioner of police, Ahmedabad, A K Singh, claimed that the bandobast was adequate. “Police are in the process of identifying those involved in violence even as security has been beefed up in the city,” reported the Times of India.

Karni Sena’s Gujarat unit chief Raj Shekhwat denied any involvement in the violent vandalism that terrorised the city for the night. While law and order were expected to be breached following the release of the film, the degree of its hostility Ahmedabad suffered was uncalled for. In a video, it can also be seen that Police Inspector VK Patel was manhandled by an angry mob.

Kids attacked

The protests in Gurgaon reached a new low when a mob started throwing stones at a bus carrying school children. More than a dozen children of the GD Goenka World School, from nursery to Class 12, were on the bus with teachers and staff. The driver with a presence of mind drove the bus away as fast as possible from the mob and to safety.

Gurgaon taking a cue from the incident imposed Section 144 of Indian Penal Code. Hindustan Times reported the Deputy Commissioner of Gurgaon, Vinay Pratap Singh stating, “Following imposition of Section 144, there is prohibition on presence of people carrying firearms and other articles capable of causing injury, raising slogans and exhibiting placards within 200 meters radius of the cinema halls and multiplexes from January 23 to January 28.”

Making headlines for allegations against its portrayal of specific communities and tampering of historical facts, Padmaavat might uphold the same for the vandalism running parallel to its screening dates.

The Logical Indian community is perturbed with the ongoing violence across India by Karni Sena against the release of a movie. It is a matter of great concern that outfits like Karni Sena can resort to violence without a care for the law.