'Padmaavat' row: Karni leader Thakur Kushalpal held, 42 arrested so far

A total of 42 people have been arrested so far and Karni Sena leader Thakur Kushalpal detained in connection with the attack on a school bus and torching of a state roadways bus here during protests against 'Padmaavat' earlier this week, a police officer said Saturday.

Twenty-eight of the 42 people have been arrested in criminal cases registered in different police stations of Gurgaon, while 14 were arrested as part of preventive actions, a police spokesman said.

Earlier today, the special investigation team of Gurgaon Police probing the violence arrested four people from Silani Mod in Sohna, Gurgaon Police PRO Ravinder Kumar said, adding that they were residents of village Uleta Roz ka Mev in Mewat.

"A total of 42 accused have been arrested so far by Gurgaon Police in connection with the agitation against the film," Kumar added.

"Strenuous efforts are being made to arrest the remaining hooligans who were involved in the violent incidents which occurred in different locations," he said.

The special investigation team (SIT) also detained Karni Sena leader Thakur Kushalpal for questioning him for his suspected role in the violence, Kumar said.

The police official dismissed social media reports that Muslim youths were detained or arrested, and urged people to not pay attention to rumours but follow the district administration guidelines.

Kumar said the people arrested have been sent to judicial custody by a court.

On Wednesday, a school bus carrying 20-25 students was targeted in Gurgaon and the Delhi-Jaipur national highway was blocked by supporters of the Karni Sena, which was at the forefront of the opposition to the controversial film directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, along with other fringe groups.

A state-run bus was torched near Bhondsi village on that day.

The protesters alleged that the movie based on the saga of the 13th-century battle between Maharaja Ratan Singh of Mewar and Sultan Alauddin Khilji of Delhi, distorted history and showed Rani Padmavati in "poor light", despite historians being divided on whether the queen actually existed.

The filmmakers have denied the allegations.

The fringe groups had warned owners of more than 40 multiplexes and theatres operating in Gurgaon against screening the movie.

The police today said the situation was under control.

He said the SIT, headed by a DCP-rank officer, Ashok Bakshi, has been formed to probe the incidents.

The SIT would collect scientific evidence and identify the remaining people involved in the violence, he added.

"The situation in Gurgaon is peaceful. Police personnel have been deployed in large numbers at malls, multiplexes and sensitive locations to maintain law and order," he said.

The national secretary of Karni Sena, Suraj Pal Amu, was arrested yesterday on charges of breaching peace in the city.

His bail plea was dismissed by a Gurgaon court and he has sent to judicial custody till Monday.

A group of angry villagers of Bhondsi has decided to call a 'mahapanchayat' tomorrow against the Gurgaon Police's action against "innocent" people who had nothing to do with the violence.