A student was performing to the Ghoomar song from Padmaavat which could have triggered the attack.
A group of college students claiming to be members of the Rajput Karni Sena yesterday stormed a school in Madhya Pradesh, allegedly after hearing the
Ghoomar song from an upcoming film being played as part of its annual day celebrations, and vandalised the campus. A student of Saint Paul's Convent School in Ratlam district's Jaora was reportedly performing to the song from the film
Padmaavat, which is supposed to have triggered the attack. The fringe group, however, has denied its involvement.
Eyewitnesses say the 'activists' pushed children, misbehaved with parents, teachers and even threatened the school administration. They also damaged chairs, stage and the music system. Sources said they were students of Bhagat Singh PG College, which is loacted near the school.
The police have detained four youngsters and registered a case of trespassing, rioting and endangering the safety of others. Inspector OPS Parihar from Jaora police station said, "About 15 to 20 people barged into the school premises when
Ghoomar dance was being staged. They disrupted the function and fled the venue."
Surendra Bhati of Rajput Karni Sena Ujjain, however, has steered clear of the incident. He said, "We condemn such incidents, we are here to fight for a cause to protect the dignity of our community, but we won't create an atmosphere of fear. If any of our members are found to be involved in the incident, we will take action against them."
Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali's
magnum opusPadmaavat, earlier titled
Padmavati, has been mired in
controversies over its plot since the beginning. The film stars Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh and tells the story of Rajput Queen Padmini, who, according to legend, preferred to die to protect her honour rather than surrender to Delhi's Sultan Alauddin Khilji, who was said to be obsessed with her beauty.
Several groups, including the
Karni Sena, had strongly opposed its release, claiming objectionable depiction of Queen Padmini and alleged a distortion of history. The film has now been cleared by the censor board and slated to be released on
January 25. The board had set up a special panel of historians and members of royal families in Rajasthan, who watched the film and suggested changes, before giving it a go ahead.
However, the BJP government in the Madhya Pradesh has clarified that the film will not be released in the state.