Police have arrested five people on Thursday in Gujarat for vandalising a rangoli that was inspired by Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s upcoming film, Padmavati. An FIR had been registered on October 16 against a group of people for destroying the rangoli created by local artist at a mall in Umra, Surat.
A PTI report suggested that four members of the group Karni Sena and one from Vishwa Hindu Parishad – after a viral video showed the miscreants destroying the artwork. The video showed the vandals shouting “Jai Shri Ram” as they ransacked the and completely destroyed the rangoli.
Surat Commissioner of Police Satish Sharma said, “More arrests are likely to be made as the video footage recovered by us shows eight to 10 persons involved in the activity. I also want to make it clear that the police will deal with strictness against any such action. Freedom of expression is everyone’s right in a democracy, but vandalism will not be allowed.”
The incident had drawn out a strong reaction from actress Deepika Padukone, who plays the lead role in Padmavati. Drawing the attention of Information & Broadcasting minister Smriti Irani’s attention to the episode, she had tweeted about how action must be taken against those responsible.
In a series of tweets, she questioned the state of freedom of expression in the country and how vigilantes are allowed to operate freely.
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Bhansali’s movie, Padmavati, has had its fair share of controversies after the group Rajput Karni Sena had raised objections over the distortion of facts in the period drama film.
Watch how the beautiful rangoli was destroyed:
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