Panipat: Jaipur residents protest against the alleged wrong portrayal of King Surajmal; burn posters and demand to stop film screening

Residents of Jaipur city in Rajasthan have taken to the street to protest against Ashutosh Gowariker’s directorial Panipat. The film revolves around the third battle of Panipat that took place between the Afghans and the Marathas. Before the release of the film, the makers were involved in controversies to the extent that they were served legal notices.

Now, three days after the release, a group of people are claiming that the film portrays King Surajmal in a bad light. Reportedly, people gathered in large numbers at the Surajmatt Square which has become a protest site. State Rajasthan Minister Vishwendra Singh, a descendant of Surajmal, joined the protest and demanded immediate ban on the film.

The protesters claim that in the film King Surajmal is seen demanding the Agra Fort for helping the Marathas, which they claim is not true. As per reports, protesters have been burning the posters of the film and vandalising theatre property. They have also demanded that the film not be screened in the city theatres.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday took to Twitter to demand the intervention of the Censor Board to settle the locals' claims on the matter. "This situation where so many reactions are coming out regarding Panipat should not have come up. The Censor Board should intervene in the matter and take cognizance of the same. Distributors should build a dialogue with the Jat community without any delay," the Chief Minister tweeted.

फिल्म में महाराजा सूरजमल जी के चित्रण को लेकर जो प्रतिक्रियाएं आ रही हैं, ऐसी स्थिति पैदा नहीं होनी चाहिए थी... सेंसर बोर्ड इसमें हस्तक्षेप करे और संज्ञान ले। डिस्ट्रीब्यूटर्स को चाहिए कि फिल्म के प्रदर्शन को लेकर जाट समाज के लोगों से अविलम्ब संवाद करें।

— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) December 9, 2019

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