Broken: Mirrors in which Khilji ‘saw’ Padmini face
CHITTORGARH FORT Karni Sena vandalises property, says mirrors were distorting history
of the Shree Rajput Karni Sena vandalised the mirrors at the palace of Rani Padmini in Chittorgarh Fort on Sunday evening, continuing their protests against what they call distortions of history.
Sena members went into the fort as tourists and threw stones at the mirrors put up by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
Sena state president Mahipal Singh Makrana told HT that the reason behind the action was the failure of the administration to remove the mirrors after the Rajput outfit gave an ultimatum 15 days ago.
“We had asked the administration to remove the mirrors as it distorts history by wrongly showing that Alauddin Khilji had watched the reflection of Rani Padmavati in them. The administration failed to take any action and that’s why we had to take matters into our hand,” said Makrana.
According to ASI officials, the mirrors were put up in the Chittorgarh Fort about 40 years ago.
He said the Sena had also asked the administration to remove a stone in the palace on which a detailed description is given about how Delhi sultan Alauddin saw the reflection of Rani Padmini.
The Sena had earlier roughed up director Sanjay Leela Bhansali and vandalised the sets of the film Padmavati alleging that the film distorted history by showing a romantic relationship between Alauddin, the second ruler of the Khilji dynasty, and the Rajput queen.
Historian Irfan Habib says Padmini is a legend originating in the epic poem Padmavat written in 1540 by Malik Muhammad Jayasi. But many historians in Rajasthan say the queen was a real-life person. The police are yet to arrest anyone over the Sunday evening vandalism although a case has been lodged in the Kotwali police station in Chittorgarh.
“We are currently investigating the matter and so far no one has been arrested. We have registered a case under the Rajasthan Monuments, Archaeological Sites and Antiquities Act, 1961 and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act 1984,” said Omprakash, station house officer, Kotwali police station, Chittorgarh.
Sena founder Lokendra Singh Kalvi told HT that the Sena had given multiple memorandums to the administration to remove the mirrors. “When Alauddin attacked Chittor in the 13th century, glass was yet to come to India and thus this entire narrative of him seeing reflection of Rani Padmavati is a fiction. We had asked the administration several times to remove the mirrors as it hurt public sentiments,” said Kalvi.