Padmaavat protests come to Gujarat; life hit

Protests against the release of 'Padmaavat' spread across the state in less than 24 hours, with Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal joining hands with Karni Sena.

Additional police forces were deployed to ensure that the public was not inconvenienced. As roads were blocked in many places, traffic jams stretched a few kilometres and commuters were left waiting for hours before the police cleared the blocks, allowing vehicles to get going.

As protestors resorted to violence and targeted public properties, the Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) suspended its services, leaving commuters stranded.

Some four organisations are leading the protests. Two groups Mahakal Sena and Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Yuva Morcha, too, joined the protests.

Addressing media persons on Sunday, Omprakash Misra, president of Surat-based Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Yuva Morcha threatened self-immolation if the film is released in Gujarat.

Brandishing a bottle of petrol and stone, Misra said if 'Padmavati' can become 'Padmavat' and be allowed to be screened, then a stone can be renamed as flower and petrol as Ganga jal, which will be used on the cinemas that screen the movie that denigrates the Indian culture.

Education Minister Bhupendrsinh Chudasama appealed to the people to stay calm and not take law into their hands. He welcomed the decision of cinema owners association and distributors not to release the film in the state as it hurts the sentiments of the people.

Meanwhile, reports of protests poured in from across the state — Kutch to Navsari and Patan to Saurashtra. Tires were torched on state and national highways bringing bus services to a halt. As buses were targeted, commuters opted for trains. But where train service was not an option, people had to depend on other modes. Autos, tempos and buses exploited the situation by charging exorbitant rates.

Ravi Gajjar, a state transport bus conductor, told DNA that he was on the Navsari-Dhanera bus, which started from Navsari at 5 pm on Saturday and reached Ahmedabad at 12. But the traffic controller asked them not to leave Ahmedabad without permission. Some 32 passengers had boarded the bus for the north Gujarat destination, and they were left with no other option but to seek private transport services to reach their destinations.

According to Gajjar, some 200 state transport buses were parked in the Ahmedabad depo on Sunday, with strict instructions to drivers and conductors against leaving Ahmedabad.