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Mumbai: After Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, violent protests against the Hindi film Jodhaa Akbar erupted on Wednesday in Sangli, Maharashtra.
The protests began at around 10am when about 200 activists tore down the posters of the film and shout slogans at the Prime Plaza multiplex in Sangli.
Activists of Shivpratishtan, a local group, went on a rampage pelting stones and damaging buses and vehicles, including a police van.
Police could control the mobs only after resorting to baton-charge in which some of the activists as well as bystanders were injured. The protests cinemas across the city to stop screening of the film.
Shivpratishtan is headed by Sambhaji Bhide. The situation is tense but under control as security has been beefed up in the district where several Maharashtra ministers hail from, including Home Minister R.R. Patil.
Meanwhile, the Madhya Pradesh High court has given some relief to the film director Ashutosh Gowarikar and producer Ronnie Screwvala of UTV Productions as it asked the government to lift its ban on the film in the state.
Earlier this week, the distributors decided to take legal help against the Madhya Pradesh government's ban on Jodhaa Akbar to avoid a law and order problem in the state.
Gowarikar welcomed the verdict with relief and admiration for the high court decision.
"The film portrays love between two cultures and religions through a marriage of alliance between a Mughal emperor and a Rajput princess," he said.
"This is an alliance that took place 450 years ago; an alliance that we need to respect, admire and learn from even today."
Gowarikar said that a disclaimer had been inserted at the start of the film saying that "it is a work of fiction and it draws from history but at the same time it is not the exact representation of it and there can be other viewpoints".
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