The Mumbai Police on Thursday beefed up the security of actor Deepika Padukone after Shri Rajput Karni Sena warned of physical harm in case she did not refrain from “inciting public sentiments”, a senior official said.
Karni Sena leader Mahipal Singh Makrana invoked the nose chopping of ‘Surpanakha’ in the epic Ramayana and said if the Bollywood film “Padmavati” was not banned and Padukone does not refrain from fanning sentiments with her provocative language, the Rajputs will not lag behind in acting.
Rajputs would not lag behind in pursuing the way Lakshman acted in the Ramayana, he said hinting at the Surpanakha nose chopping episode.
He asked why was Padukone, who has the citizenship of Denmark, speaking so provocatively.
Makrana claimed that a cinema hall in Kota was rampaged as a result of such provocative language.
“Shri Rajput Karni Sena has now just conveyed a lesson to Deepika Padukone to stop making provocative statements or face the result,” Makrana said.
Padukone had reportedly said that nothing could stop the release of the film and that India had regressed as a nation.
Mumbai’s Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Deven Bharti reacting to the threats said, “ The Mumbai Police have increased actor Deepika Padukone’s security after the outfit issued the nose chopping threat.”
We are providing her adequate security after the threat, he said. The police will also provide security at the actress’s residence as well as office in Mumbai.
They have already provided protection to filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali after the Rajput community outfit protested outside his office in Mumbai’s Juhu area last Saturday while accusing him of distorting historical facts in the history drama.
More than 300 people were killed Alleging that an attempt was made to distort history in the film, members of a organisation, Rajput Shaurya Foundation in Lucknow, said that they will not allow the screening of film.
“We will not allow the screening of the film, which is an deliberate attempt to distort our glorious history,” senior office bearer of the foundation Ram Moorti Singh said.
Lokendra Singh Kalvi of the Shri Rajput Karni Sena said that his organisation will not allow the film to be released on December 1.
A joint statement by both the organisations said, “A cinema hall, which tries to show the film will be shut. On December 1, a blood-written letter will be given to district magistrates and owners of cinema halls as a mark of protest.”
Police have beefed up security at Bhansali’s residence in Versova in the city.
Organisations like the SRKS have been protesting against the release of the film, claiming that it distorts history and hurts sentiments.
The SRKS has called for a country-wide bandh on December 1, the day the film is slated to be released.
In January this year, the SRKS had attacked the sets of the movie in Jaipur and even slapped Bhansali.
Earlier in the day, Maharashtra Minister of State for Home Ranjit Patil said the government was assessing Padukone’s security in the wake of the threats.
