Padmaavat Controversy: Over 50 Held, Multiplexes Not To Screen The Film In Gujarat
Theatre owners in Gujarat today said 'Padmaavat' will not be screened in any of the multiplexes or single screens in the state till the row over the film is resolved, even as police arrested 50 people
Padmavat
Row:
Gujarat
Multiplex
Association
decides
not
to
screen
Padmaavat
|
FilmiBeat
Theatre
owners
in
Gujarat
today
said
'Padmaavat' will
not
be
screened
in
any
of
the
multiplexes
or
single
screens
in
the
state
till
the
row
over
the
film
is
resolved,
even
as
police
arrested
50
people
in
connection
with
the
violence
outside
malls
last
night.
The
Gujarat
Multiplex
Owners
Association
said
the
decision
has
been
taken
for
the
safety
of
customers
as
well
as
to
save
their
property.
Hardik
Patel
Hits
Out
At
The
Govt..
Hitting
out
at
the
government,
Patidar
leader
Hardik
Patel
said
the
government
failed
to
control
the
violence.
He
sought
to
know
if
Chief
Minister
Vijay
Rupani
would
resign
in
view
of
the
situation,
saying
the
BJP
had
made
then
chief
minister
Anandiben
Patel
quit
the
post
after
the
Patidar
quota
agitation
violence.
30
Motorcycles
Torched..
The
protesters
opposing
the
release
of
the
controversial
film
yesterday
torched
at
least
30
motorcycles
and
damaged
several
other
vehicles
parked
outside
three
city
malls,
police
earlier
said.
Around
15
people
were
arrested
late
last
night
and
35
more
were
taken
into
custody
today
on
charges
of
arson
and
rioting,
police
said.
As
many
as
30
bikes
and
scooters,
parked
outside
three
multiplexes
in
the
city,
were
set
ablaze
by
protesters
last
night,
the
city's
fire
control
room
said.
Police
Fired
Two
Rounds
In
The
Air
To
Control
The
Violence
To
control
the
situation,
police
had
fired
two
rounds
in
the
air
and
also
lobbed
tear
gas
shells,
Joint
Commissioner
of
Police
J
K
Bhatt
said.
"The
mob,
which
was
part
of
the
candle
march
that
took
place
near
ISKCON
temple
on
the
SG
Highway,
first
reached
the
Acropolis
Mall
and
damaged
vehicles.
The
mob
did
the
same
at
the
Himalaya
Mall.
They
later
burnt
vehicles
and
tyres
outside
the
AlphaOne
mall
in
Vastrapur
area,"
said
Bhatt.
Tear
Gas
Shells
Were
Also
Lobbed
"Acting
swiftly,
police
had
arrested
around
15
to
16
people
involved
in
these
incidents
from
the
spot
itself.
To
control
the
mob,
we
were
forced
to
fire
two
rounds
in
the
air.
Tear
gas
shells
were
also
lobbed,"
Bhatt
told
reporters.
Around
35
more
people
accused
of
rioting
and
arson
were
arrested
by
the
Vastrapur
and
Satellite
police
today,
the
officials
at
both
the
police
stations
said.
The
Acropolis
Mall
houses
the
PVR
multiplex,
Himalaya
Mall
has
the
Carnival
Cinemas
while
the
Cinepolis
multiplex
is
in
the
premises
of
the
AlphaOne
mall.
The
venue
of
the
candle
march
was
in
the
jurisdiction
of
the
Satellite
police,
while
all
the
three
multiplexes
are
in
the
limits
of
the
Vastrapur
police
station.
After
the
large
scale
violence
yesterday,
the
Gujarat
Multiplex
Owners
Association
announced
that
the
movie
will
not
be
released
at
any
of
their
theatres.
"Following
yesterday's
violence,
all
the
multiplexes
in
Gujarat
have
unanimously
decided
not
to
screen
the
movie
till
the
matter
is
resolved.
We
have
taken
the
decision
for
the
safety
of
our
customers
as
well
as
to
save
our
property,"
the
association's
president,
Manubhai
Patel,
said.
He
said
even
the
owners
of
single
screen
theatres
have
informed
the
association
that
they
will
refrain
from
screening
the
movie.
"Though
we
are
given
security
cover
by
police,
we
do
not
want
to
take
any
chances.
What
if
protesters
enter
the
theatre
after
buying
tickets?"
Patel
asked.
"Though
each
multiplex
will
incur
a
loss
of
around
Rs
40
lakh
(by
not
screening
the
film),
we
will
not
screen
the
film
until
the
issue
is
resolved,"
he
said.
Hardik
Patel
tried
to
link
yesterday's
incidents
to
the
large
scale
violence
during
his
Patel
quota
agitation
in
2015.
"Following
Patidar
quota
violence,
Anandiben
Patel
was
asked
to
step
down.
Similarly,
will
the
party
take
resignation
of
Chief
Minister
Vijay
Rupani
for
failing
to
stop
the
violence
over
the
release
of
Padmaavat?"
Hardik
tweeted
today
in
Hindi.
"Bhakts
would
claim
that
Anandiben
voluntarily
stepped
down.
But,
I
strongly
believe
that
Amit
Shah
forced
her
to
step
down
(as
CM),"
he
claimed
in
his
tweet.
Police
had
alleged
that
Hardik
Patel
was
the
pivot
of
the
violence
that
broke
out
in
August
2015
during
the
Patel
quota
agitation
in
which
around
14
people
were
killed.
Anandiben
Patel
had
resigned
in
August
2016
as
the
chief
minsiter
of
Gujarat.