Padmavati row: Gunshots fired at protest site in Chittor fort

The opposition to the film Padmavati is taking a violent turn. First, threats were issued to star Deepika Padukone and director Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Now gunshots were fired at Chittor fort in Rajasthan where protests against the film were taking place, as reported by the Times Now television channel. The protests were organized by the Rajput Karni Sena, a Rajput community group, the report said.

The episode raises questions about the law and order in the state of Rajasthan. As per the television channel's report, shots were fired in the air by some miscreant who then fled. The police are yet to nab the person.

The protesters burned posters of Padmavati, blocked tourists, and performed a mock hanging of an effigy of Padukone.

Meanwhile, another fringe group called the Rashtriya Singh Sena reportedly threatened director Bhansali with acid attack.

Security for Padukone and Bhansali has been beefed up following these threats. Padmavati is due to be released on 1 December.

Earlier, producers Viacom18 Motion Pictures had agreed to show the film to a delegation of Rajputs once the film is cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification.   

On Thursday, a public interest litigation was initiated by a hitherto unheard organization called Akhand Rashtrawadi Party seeking the setting up of an expert committee of historians and social activists prior to the release of Padmavati.