Akhil Bharatiya Rajput Manch members burn the poster of the movie Jodhaa Akbar that is being screened at Sujata Miniplex in Ranchi on Thursday. Picture by Prashant Mitra

Ranchi, Feb. 21: Mughal emperor Akbar might have won the allegiance of the Rajputs in the 16th century but the crowd of Rajputs that gathered outside the two cinema halls that were screening Jodhaa Akbar paid no heed to that.

Organised under the aegis of the Akhil Bharatiya Rajput Manch (ABRM), Rajputs compelled owners of Sujata and Meenakshi theatre to stop the screening of Jodhaa Akbar. They even threatened to burn down the cinema halls.

The Kotwali police arrested 20 persons in this connection and released them soon after. No FIR was lodged.

The mob burnt posters and also staged demonstrations against the screening.

“The film hurts our sentiments as it presents a Rajput princess like a keep under the Mughal ruler. The story also distorts historical facts. We will not allow this movie to run in the city,” said ABRM leader, Kamakhya Singh, supported by other members of the Rajput community.

It was the first protest of its kind in the city where the Rajput community had come together against a film cutting across party lines. They raised slogans against the film director and demanded an immediate ban on the film by the government.

“A film should be produced carefully. No one has the right to tarnish the image of a community by presenting stories, which have no historical evidence. While Jodhaa bai was the queen of Akbar’s son, this film shows her as Akbar’s queen. This apart, the story has been presented in a distorted fashion. How can a film be allowed to run at the cost of the sentiments of a community?” said Nawal Kishore Singh, a member of ABRM.

Though the district administration had made elaborate arrangements to restrain the mob, it failed.

The mob assembled at Sainik Bazaar, a prominent location in the heart of city, and marched to Sujata and Meenakshi cinema halls.

Managers of the cinema halls had a hard time. “How can I change the film? I am not responsible for the incident that took place in the past. Our duty is limited to the screening of the film,” said Shekhar Jha, manager of Sujata Cinema Hall, adding that the mob was threatening to set his hall on fire.

Ravi Agrawal, the owner of Meenakshi Cinema, had to stop the matinee show because of a 40-minute demonstration from 2pm in the presence of several police officials.

“I am a businessman. I am not prepared to bear damages to my hall for running a show that didn’t even fetch enough revenue,” he said.

Officer-in-charge of Chutia police station, Mohammed Nehaluddin, said the incident was not serious. The officer-in-charge of Sukhdeo Nagar police station, Brahmadeo Prasad, also said an FIR was not required in the incident.