Amid 'Padmaavat' protests chittor fort shuts down for 2nd time in history

Thousands of women Rajput protesters have threatened "Jauhar" or self-immolation at the fort if "Padmaavat" is screened in the state. "Padmaavat" may not be released in Rajasthan tomorrow despite a Supreme Court order, with distributors saying they will not screen the controversial film based on the story of Rajput Queen Padmini, amid massive protests.

The Chittor Fort, the magnificent setting of the Padmavati legend in Chittorgarh, has been shut down for a day, for the second time in its centuries-old history after members of the Karni Sena, which has led protests against the film, tried to break in.

The Karni Sena has threatened that hundreds of women Rajput protesters will commit "Jauhar" - an ancient tradition of self-immolation - at the fort if the film is screened. According to legend, Queen Padmini committed "Jauhar" and jumped into the fire along with several other women at the Chittor Fort, preferring death to dishonor.

"We will not allow the film in Rajasthan," said Lokendra Singh Kalvi of the Karni Sena today. Karni Sena activists were arrested this morning over the Jauhar threat. A spokesperson of the group had said that "1,900 women have registered for the act".

Protesters today blocked highways and vandalized property, not just in Rajasthan but in Gujarat, Haryana and Maharashtra, to show their anger against the film, which, they allege, distorts the story of Queen Padmini and shows Rajputs in poor light.