Gurgaon’s Rajput stronghold hub of anti-movie protest
GURGAON: Bhondsi in Gurgaon was the hot spot of protests on Wednesday over the release of the controversial movie Padmaavat , with agitators setting afire buses and blocking roads.
The protesters, members of the Rajput community, contend that the movie portrays Rajput queen Padmavati in a negative light.
Bhondsi, a stronghold of the Raghav clan of Rajputs, has a population of 30,000 and it has been simmering over the issue as the locals have strong faith in the cult of Padmavati.
They worship the queen as divine—one who sacrificed her life for the community’s honour.
The village also has an ancient ‘Sati Mata’ temple— said to be the only one in Haryana—and is worshipped by Rajputs from across the state.
The village elders said Bhondsi was at the forefront of an agitation launched against the movie Jodhaa Akbar in 2008. Over 20,000 Rajputs, supported by all communities, had carried out the protest.
About 90 per cent of Bhondsi’s population are Raghav Rajputs, apart from Chouhan Rajputs who have been living in the area for the past several hundred years.
On Wednesday afternoon, the protesters stoned a school bus and later torched a Haryana roadways bus.
While regretting Wednesday’s violence, the villagers said there had been a simmering anger in the community as the film was being released despite their opposition.
“All Bollywood movies show Thakurs in a negative manner and they are shown as thugs, cruel gangsters, dacoits or decaying royals. This has also been a regular feature in Bhansali movies and Bhondsi has been protesting against such actions,” said Arun Raghav, founder Shriram Parivar Sangathan, which had led the protest against Jodhaa Akbar.
Though this ti me they allowed Karni Sena, which has stronger roots in Rajasthan, to take the lead during Wednesday’s protests, Raghav says the anger in Gurgaon and other parts of Haryana was no less.
“The violence is condemnable and it must be stopped but in this age of social media, the passions are bound to get ignited,” said Raghav.