Patna: Protesters claiming allegiance to the Rajput Karni Sena cast a spell of fear across Bihar on Thursday, demanding a nationwide ban on the screening of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmaavat.

Joining them was a ruling coalition legislator who was at the forefront of the protests in Saharsa and Supaul districts. Chhatapur MLA Niraj Kumar Singh "Babloo" of the BJP led the demonstration against the movie. "We respect the decision of the Supreme Court, but the movie will hurt the sentiments of a large number of people. We are requesting the public not to watch it, and the theatres not to show it," he said.

The Karni Sena attacked the lone theatre at Biharsharif, around 80km southeast of Patna, that dared to screen the movie. The ban brigade threatened to burn down Kisan cinema, owned by local BJP MLA Sunil Kumar, forcing the management to suspend it after the first show in spite of heavy police deployment.

Hoodlums brandishing swords and sticks blocked roads, burnt tyres, clashed with police and thumbed the nose at the Supreme Court and the state government as the law enforcement agencies turned into mute spectators at most places.

Nalanda, Muzaffarpur, Bhojpur, Vaishali, Munger, Begusarai, Saharsa, Supaul and Patna were the worst affected districts as large groups of Karni Sena members roamed and spread fear with impunity.

The situation is such that a senior government official told The Telegraph on the condition of anonymity: "The fact that none of the big cinema halls in the state capital have screened Padmaavat on the first day of its release speaks volumes about the atmosphere of fear created by Karni Sena. It should be noted that Patna has the largest concentration of security personnel, with around 10,000 police officials."

The protesters managed to stop Savitri cinema in Begusarai from showing Padmaavat by the use of force and threats to burn down the hall.

In Patna, Karni Sena members demonstrated with swords and sticks in front of Mona and Elphinstone theatres, though they were not screening the movie.

"We are protesting to seek a ban on the controversial movie. It's not related to Rajput caste, it's a matter of Hindutva and our culture. The movie has been made as part of a conspiracy to destabilise the country. If the movie-makers are so concerned about the culture why don't they make one on Maharana Pratap or the dastardly incidents that happen in Pakistan," Rajput Karni Sena Bihar unit president Dhirendra Kumar Singh said.

Dhirendra added that he has asked Karni Sena members not to indulge in any violence, "but what is being seen is the anger of the masses".

Top government officials, including chief secretary Anjani Kumar Singh, refused to comment on the issue, citing that the Supreme Court's order is already in place and the movie has been cleared by the censor board.

Director-general of police Pramod Kumar Thakur said: "We have issued instructions across the state to maintain law and order. Deployment of police personnel has been done everywhere. The Supreme Court has issued directions with regard to the movie and they are applicable for every state."