Padmaavat protests: Bars and pubs will not be shut in Gurgaon, say police

Karni Sena supporters opposed to Padmaavat staged protests on Wednesday in Gurgaon, but police said bars and pubs will not be shut because of the agitation.

Bars and pubs will not be shut in the wake of protests ahead of the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s controversial film Padmaavat on Thursday, Gurgaon deputy commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh said on Wednesday.

He made the statement while denying reports that the bars and pubs have been ordered shut. (Updates)

“We have already imposed (prohibitory orders under) Section 144 of the CrPC in the city but not directed pubs and bars to shut. All pubs and bars will remain open. The police are undertaking adequate patrolling,” Singh told PTI.

Hundreds of Karni Sena supporters and other outfits opposed to the film staged protests on Wednesday near the Kherki Daula toll plaza on the Delhi-Jaipur national highway.

Gurgaon police chief PRO Manish Sehgal said the agitation ended after police removed the protesters from the scene. There are more than 40 multiplexes and cinema halls in Gurgaon.

Padmaavat, starring Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh, is based on the saga of the 13th century battle between Maharaja Ratan Singh of Mewar and Sultan Alauddin Khilji of Delhi. The film has been been facing protests by Karni Sena and other fringe groups over allegations that it distorts historical facts. The film’s producers have denied the allegations.