Stone figurine at Maheshwar damaged during 'Dabangg 3' shoot?

An instance of damage caused to an antique figurine when shooting for Salman Khan-starrer "Dabangg-3" was being wrapped up has come to light in Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh, following which the state government promised action Monday.

Madhya Pradesh Culture Minister Vijaylaxmi Sadho has said that necessary action would be taken against those responsible for the incident.

According to eyewitnesses, the stone figurine at the fort located on the banks of the Narmada river in Maheshwar town suffered damage Sunday when the set of the Bollywood film was being removed. The fort was built by the erstwhile Holkar rulers.

Some heavy objects apparently hit the statuette and a part of it got broken, they said.

When asked about the incident, Sadho told reporters in Indore that whatever happened was wrong.

"I have taken cognisance of the matter and issued directives to Khargone district collector, superintendent of police and sub-divisional magistrate ( SDM)," the minister said.

Sadho said she would visit the spot at the Maheshwar Fort to take stock of the situation.

Sadho, who is the MLA from Maheshwar, further said, "We had given permission to the shooting of 'Dabangg-3' in Maheshwar to highlight the tourism potential of this historic town".

"If something went wrong during the shooting of the film, then the steps against the people concerned will be taken," the minister added.

Earlier, shooting of "Dabangg 3" in Maheshwar got embroiled in a controversy when photographs of a "Shivling" purportedly being covered with wooden planks during the shoot surfaced on the social media.

In a clarification issued later, Salman Khan had stated that the "Shivling" was covered so to protect the idol and maintain its sanctity.