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Business News/ Politics / Policy/  Padmaavat protests: Violence erupts in Gujarat, Maharashtra, MP ahead of release

Padmaavat protests: Violence erupts in Gujarat, Maharashtra, MP ahead of release

BJP remained tight-lipped on Padmaavat protests in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, refraining from commenting on the violence

A Haryana roadways bus set on fire by alleged activists of the Karni Sena during Padmaavat protests in Gurugram on Wednesday. Photo: PTI

New Delhi: Violence erupted in all BJP-ruled states of Haryana, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday, a day before the release of the movie Padmaavat, with Karni Sena protesters torching vehicles, hurling petrol bombs and pelting stones at security personnel, senior police officials from three states confirmed.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) remained tight-lipped on the matter, refraining from commenting on the violence.

“The party is not commenting on the matter. We do not want to say anything about the situation as of now. The senior leadership has not yet spelt out anything that is to be offered by way of a comment," said a senior BJP leader who did not wish to be named.

In Haryana, the state police lathi-charged protesters after they defied the Supreme Court’s orders clearing the release of the film, and vandalized public property. Protesters also torched a state-run bus and stoned a school bus along Sohna Road near Gurugram, Haryana.

“We are doing what we can, but the protestors have been outnumbering us. We have detained a few of them, but the mob has turned violent and it is first important to quell the protest," said a Haryana police official, requesting anonymity.

In Gujarat, too, despite the government’s promise of providing security ahead of the film’s release, state police officials confirmed that protestors vandalized shops and vehicles in Ahmedabad.

Karni Sena protestors took to the streets in Haryana’s Gurugram area, blocking the Delhi-Jaipur highway. The protestors torched vehicles along the area and also pelted stones at security personnel.

Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were deployed across the national capital region as well as in Gujarat.

“We have already sent four companies of jawans to Gujarat and the state has asked for more reinforcements. We are looking into that. In addition to that, we have also deployed three companies of soldiers in Delhi," said a CRPF official.

Security in and around the national capital will be beefed up on Thursday, as the film hits theatres in Delhi. Clubs and bars shut down in Gurugram on Wednesday as mobs took to the streets.

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