In a new twist to the ongoing controversy over the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s movie Padmaavat, women members of the Kshatriya community in Chittorgarh on Saturday threatened to perform “jauhar” (self-immolation) if the screening of the film is not stopped by the government.
At a meeting, the members decided to stage a phase-wise protest against the proposed release of film. The meeting was attended by around 500 people, out of which 100 women belonged to high-profile families of the city.
Virendra Singh, spokesperson of the Rajput Karni Sena, said on January 17 that national highways and railway tracks across Chittorgarh would be blocked.
The film, already cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) after five modifications and renamed from Padmavati to Padmavat and now titled Padmaavat, is scheduled to release on January 25 across India. The Rajasthan government has, however, decided against releasing it in the state.
On Sunday, a delegation of the Sena will meet Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who is scheduled to visit Udaipur, requesting him to stop the screening of the movie across India.
According to Virendra, a representative board will also meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 16, who is scheduled to visit Pachpadra village in Barmer district for laying the foundation stone for a refinery project.
“A request will be made to him as well to stop the screening of the film,” he said.
“But, if despite all these measures the film is released, the women of Kshatriya Samaj will perform jauhar on January 24 — the day when the queen performed jauhar — and at the same site,” said Virendra.
