Rajasthan: Chittorgarh Fort vandalised by Rajput group that wants ‘Padmavati’ banned, no arrests yet
Rajput Karni Sena members said they had destroyed the mirrors as according to legend, Rajput queen Padmini’s face was shown to Alauddin Khilji in them.
The Rajasthan Police have yet to arrest members of the Rajput Karni Sena who vandalised the Chittorgarh Fort and threatened to do it again. The incident took place on Sunday when Sena members shattered two mirrors at Padmini Mahal, which used to be the palace of the Rajput queen, reported DNA.
The members said that they destroyed the mirrors because legend says that Padmini’s face was shown to Alauddin Khilji, the Turkic Sultan of Delhi, in these mirrors. They have also threatened to stage violent protests on March 12, reported The Times of India.
The members added that they would attack the Unesco world heritage site again if the government continued with the sound and light show and did not remove a plaque that has information about the site. “We had given an ultimatum to the administration 15 days ago…to remove these mirrors but they paid no heed. So Karni Sainiks had to take matters in their own hands,” outfit state president Mahipal Singh Makrana told The Indian Express.
Although the Sena members have claimed responsibility for the vandalism, the police said they had not been able to identify the culprits, reported The Indian Express. “The ASI [Archealogical Survey of India] has given us a report saying some people vandalised the mirror. So we have registered a case against unknown persons,” Chittorgarh Additional Superintendent of Police Rajan Dushyant told the daily.
This is the second time the group has carried out vandalism in less than two months. In January, they had assaulted filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali for allegedly distorting historical facts and insulting Rajput sentiments in his upcoming film Padmavati. Bhansali was attacked during the shooting of the film in Jaipur. The characters of Rani Padmavati and Alauddin Khilji are being played by actors Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh.