Padmaavat row: After vandalism in Mehsana, bus services suspended in north Gujarat

Bus services were suspended in North Gujarat owing to the violence over permission to release the movie Padmaavat.

Scattered incidents of violence were reported at some places in the state on Saturday and Sunday. 

Thousands of bus passengers were stuck as authorities suspended hundreds of buses to and fro North Gujarat as a precautionary measure.

Officials said that the Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation suspendes bus services to North Gujarat in the wake of protests by Rajput organisations.

Officials said that bus services from Ahmedabad to Mehsana, Palanpur, Gandhinagar, Sabarkantha and Banaskantha were suspended. Bus services on routes in the region were also disrupted.

On Saturday, protestors had resorted to violence in Rajhans cinema in Nikol area of Ahmedabad to protest against release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s period drama.

On Saturday, many theatre owners in Gujarat said that they would not be screening the movie. ‘We have decided not to screen the movie in whole of Gujarat. Everyone is scared, No multiplex wants to bear the loss. Why will we bear the loss,’ asked Rakesh Patel, director, Gujarat multiplex association.

Meanwhile, Bhansali’s production house has wrote yet another letter to Shri Rajput Karni Sena (SRKS) and Shri Rajput Sabha (SRS) urging them to let go of their ‘misguided grievances’ and watch the movie with hopes for a peaceful release.

The Rajput bodies, however, were not impressed with Bhansali’s letter which did not mention any particular date for them to watch the movie. The groups plan to go ahead with Janta Curfew.

The letter by Bhansali productions dated January 20 invites them to see the movie and extend cooperation for a peaceful release. It also assures them that the film would make the Rajput community proud. It also stated that there will be no love scenes between Rani Padmavati and Alauddin Khilji in the movie.

On Monday, both the Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan governments will move the Supreme Court against the nod given for the release of the movie.

Rajasthan's Home and Justice minister Gulabchand Kataria said the state government has decided to file a review petition in the Supreme court. The review petition would be filed on Monday or Tuesday, he said. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had also said that his government would approach the apex court to stop the release of ‘Padmaavat’.

Last week, the Supreme Court has stayed the orders/notifications issued by the Rajasthan and Gujarat governments prohibiting the screening of "Padmaavat", and restrained other state governments from issuing similar orders.

(With agency inputs)