Padmavati, we hang not just effigies: Man found hanging from Jaipur's Nahargarh fort walls

The Padmavati protests took an ugly turn with the body of a youth found hanging off the parapet of the Nahargarh fort in Jaipur.

Padmavati
A young man was found hanging off the parkot (parapet) of Jaipur's famous Nahargarh fort. The death is being linked to the protests against Sanjay Leela Bhansali-directed film Padmavati.

This is because a charcoal graffiti on the wall next to the lifeless body said, "Padmavati, hum sirf putle nahi latkate (Padmavati, we hang not just effigies)." The words "Padmavati ka virodh (Protest against Padmavati)" were also found next to the body.

The Jaipur Police is investigating the case. It's not clear whether it was a murder or a suicide.

Jaipur Police's forensic team is at the spot. The way the body was found hanging, it could not have been a suicide, police sources told India Today. A police officer claimed this may be the work of anti-social elements who hanged Chetan Kumar, the 23-year-old from Jaipur.

"It doesn't look like he was alone. It would take more than one person to tie the rope around the fort parapet and the embrasure," the source added.

The man has been identified as Chetan Kumar, a resident of Jaipur.

The body that was found hanging at the Nahargarh fort in Jaipur
The body that was found hanging at the Nahargarh fort in Jaipur
The Shri Rajput Karni Sena's chief, Lokendra Singh Kalvi told India Today that the group condemned the incident.

The protests against the film Padmavati were dying down after the producers postponed the film's release. The film was scheduled for a December 1 release, but has now been pushed indefinitely. A certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is also due.

The Shri Rajput Karni Sena, the outfit spearheading the protests, has said that if the family of the erstwhile Chittor royalty approve of the film, it will withdraw its plan to forcibly stop the exhibition of Padmavati.

The film Padmavati, based on Malik Mohammed Jayasi's 16th Century epic poem Padmavat, has triggered widespread anger across the country.

The Rajput community is protesting the film because they claim it denigrates Rani Padmini of Chittor, a revered icon in Rajput folklore, and glamourises Alauddin Khilji, then ruler of India who presided over one of the worst mass slaughters of Rajputs in Indian history during his raid on Chittor.

Padmavati, starring Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Shahid Kapoor, has been facing the wrath of political groups ever since the team started shooting. There have been protests against the film in different states of India. The film has been banned in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.

The release in India has been postponed indefinitely from December 1. While it still awaits certification from the CBFC (Central Board of Film Certification) in India, Britain's censor board recently cleared the film without any cuts.

The British Board of Film Certification tweeted:

Producers of Padmavati, Viacom18 said in a statement, "We will await the Indian censor board's clearance and then release the film."

JAUHAR KI JWALA

But that doesn't seem to have cut any ice with the Shri Rajput Karni Sena. A fuming Lokendra Singh Kalvi, Karni Sena chief, said in a press conference in Hyderabad yesterday that any promotions of Padmavati before the CBFC verdict will lead to the group filing a criminal case against them.

He reiterated that 'jauhar ki jwala hai, bahut kuch jalega,' indicating that Padmavati will burn in the fire of jauhar if Sanjay Leela Bhansali doesn't oblige their wishes.

BAN IN STATES: GUJARAT

Meanwhile, the Gujarat government decided that Padmavati will not be screened in the state till the Assembly elections. Gujarat goes to poll on December 9 and 14, and the counting is to take place on December 18.

In a press conference on Wednesday, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said that apart from the Kshatriya Samaaj, other communities have also expressed apprehension about the release of the film.

"Till the issues are resolved, Padmavati will not be screened in Gujarat," said Rupani.

"Such issues spoil the environment. The threat of violence can spoil the environment during elections. Keeping law and order issues in mind, Padmavati will not be released in Gujarat. The Home department has initiated the process to look into the matter," said Rupani.

He also tweeted, "The Government of Gujarat will not allow #Padmavati - a movie hurting sentiments of Rajputs - to get released in the State. We can't allow our history to be distorted. We believe in freedom of speech & expression but any foul play with our great culture is not tolerated. (sic)"

The controversial period drama, Padmavati, has been in dire straits for a while now. Several right-wing groups have been vehemently opposing the film on the grounds that it supposedly degrades the honour of the Rajput queen, Rani Padmini.

IN HARYANA

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar also said yesterday that he would take a decision on whether Padmavati will be released in the state only after the film is cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

"We will not allow anyone's sentiments to be hurt. We don't think it is right to ban (a film) before censor board's decision," he told ANI.

Incidentally, the CBFC delayed the certification of Padmavati after the makers failed to submit all the documents required. The release of the film has now been pushed indefinitely.

"This might be his personal opinion; the government has nothing to do with it. We have issued him a show cause notice," Manohar Lal Khattar said, when prodded about Haryana BJP's (Bharatiya Janta Party) chief media coordinator Suraj Pal Singh Amu, who was booked by the Gurgaon Police on Tuesday.

Suraj Pal Amu was vocal in his support of the bounty of Rs 5 crore announced by the Meerut Kshatriya Samaj on the heads of Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Deepika Padukone. When a complaint was lodged against him, he declared that his voice will not be subdued and threatened to "set fire to each screen in the country".

IN PUNJAB

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh maintained a somewhat neutral stand on Padmavati. While he is strictly opposed to violence and threats issued by some agitated protesters, he told IANS that anyone whose sentiments were hurt by the distortion of historical facts had the right to protest. He emphasised that protests and threats were not the same thing.

IN MADHYA PRADESH

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has voiced his support for the protestors and said that Padmavati will not be allowed to release in the state even if it is cleared by the censor board.

IN UTTAR PRADESH

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Tuesday that if action is being taken against the people issuing threats against Sanjay Leela Bhansali, action should be taken against the director as well for hurting sentiments.

IN WEST BENGAL

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, however, took the opposite route and said that she condemned this 'attack on freedom' and that it was 'super emergency'.

Padmavati stars Deepika Padukone in the titular role, Shahid Kapoor as her husband, Maharawal Ratan Singh, and Ranveer Singh as Alauddin Khilji.

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