'Padmaavat': Karni Sena vandalises cinema hall in Bihar's Muzaffarpur

Hours after the Supreme Court lifted a ban on the film "Padmaavat" by some states, activists of Rajput group Karni Sena on Thursday attacked a cinema hall and tore down posters of the movie scheduled for release next week.

The incident took place at Jyoti cinema hall in the city's Mithanpura police station area where the protesters came brandishing swords and wearing saffron head scarves, SHO Vijay Kumar said.

He said the Karni Sena activists raised slogans like 'Jai Maa Bhavani' and 'Padmaavat ko ban karo' as they tore down posters of the Shahid Kapoor and Deepika Padukone starrer which is based on the legend surrounding queen Padmini, the wife of 14th century Mewar king Ratan Singh who lost his kingdom to invading Delhi Sultan Alauddin Khilji.

Before departing, the protesters also warned the staff of the cinema hall not to screen the movie which is scheduled for release on January 25, the SHO said, adding that no arrests have been made so far and investigations were on.
The incident took place a few hours after the Supreme Court stayed the ban imposed on the screening of the movie by states like Haryana, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

Though the Bihar government did not order a ban on the movie, which has been accused by Rajput groups of portraying Padmini in an objectionable manner, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has been advocating that the producer, the director and the star cast of "Padmaavat" clear the air on misgivings surrounding the Sanjay Leela Bhansali venture.