Body With Anti-Padmavati Slogans Found Hanging at Rajasthan Fort

Jaipur: The protests against Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmavati took a deadly turn on Friday when a body was found hanging in Rajasthan’s Nahargarh Fort, 20 km near Jaipur, with slogans against the movie scrawled on stones nearby.

One of the slogans read ‘Padmavati ka virodh (Opposing Padmavati), while another read ‘Hum putle nahi jalate, latkate hain’ (we don’t burn effigies, we kill).

Officers from the Brahmapuri Police Station were investigating at the spot. It was not immediately clear if it was a case if murder or suicide. The deceased has been identified as Chetan and he was strangled using a plastic wire, the police said while adding that the deceased's Aadhaar Card was found in his pocket.

Mahipal Singh Makrana, a member of the Rajput Karni Sena which has been spearheading the Padmavati protest, said his outfit did not have anything to do with the latest development.

“This is not our way of protest. I want to tell people not to resort to such methods," Makrana said.

His outfit had last week threatened to chop off Deepika Padukone’s nose “just as Soorpanakha’s nose was chopped off".

Meanwhile, the Delhi HC has rejected the plea for an expert panel on Padmavati, as Karni Sena members burnt director Bhansali's effigy in the national capital.

Padmavati has been facing the wrath of various Rajput groups and political leaders, who have accused Bhansali of distorting history.

Congress' Sachin Pilot has come out against the incident and called for investigations while terming it a 'sad' affair. "Any violence that happens is bad and not acceptable, no body can support those who indulge in violence," said the leader.

Many groups have been protesting amid rumours that there was a romantic dream sequence between Rajput queen Padmini and Allauddin Khilji. However, Bhansali said in an appeal that there was no dream sequence and it was all a rumour.

The movie stars Deepika Padukone as Padmavati, Shahid Kapoor as Maharawal Ratan Singh and Ranveer Singh as Alauddin Khilji.

Historians are divided on whether Padmini actually existed. She finds mention in the 16th-century epic poem Padmavat.

Earlier scheduled to arrive in cinema halls on December 1, the release date of the film has now been postponed by the makers until further notice.