'Padmavati' vandals back, break Chittorgarh Fort mirrors

Vandals entered the Padmini Mahal in Chittorgarh Fort and broke the mirrors famously known to have reflected the image of Rajput queen Rani Padmavati for Delhi Sultan Alauddin Khilji's viewing, a police officer said.

"All the three mirrors were broken on Sunday evening in the palace by some miscreants," the official told IANS on phone from Chittorgarh, over 300 km from here. He said an investigation was on.

Shree Rajput Karni Sena, a caste-based organisation, claimed responsibility for damaging the mirrors.

This is the same group that attacked Bollywood filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali on January 27 here, stalling the shooting of period drama "Padmavati" that revolves around the Hindu queen and the Muslim ruler.

"We had given an ultimatum to this effect 15 days back and in spite of our demands, mirrors were not removed," an activist of Rajput Karni Sena said.

At around 4.45 p.m. four to five persons entered the palace, broke the mirrors into pieces and ran away from the place, a witness said.

It is said that around the 13th century, Khilji was shown the queen's reflection in the mirror in the palace.

The Karni Sena said the mirrors were invented years after the event was claimed to have happened.

On January 27, the Rajput activists misbehaved with Bhansali and his crew claiming that his upcoming movie was a distortion of historical facts.

They damaged some cameras and equipment, forcing the shooting to stop.

--IANS

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