Karni Sena has formed teams to convince men and women to refrain from the outlawed Hindu custom of mass self-immolation by women.
New Delhi: A day after hundreds of Rajput women reached Chittor Fort in Rajasthan, threatening to commit ‘jauhar’ or mass self-immolation if the film Padmaavat is released, an influential organisation representing the community has asked them not to do so since “the Rajput men are still alive”.
The Karni Sena, the Rajput body at the forefront of the Padmavaat controversy, has constituted multiple teams to convince men and women to refrain from the outlawed Hindu custom of mass self-immolation by women to ostensibly protect their honour.
However, Nirmala Rathore, joint secretary of Shatrani Manch, which reached Chittor Fort protesting against the film, told ThePrint that “Jauhar will happen in the next few hours if the government does not ban the film”.
The release of the film Wednesday has been marked by protests and violence in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Haryana.
Karni Sena is of the view that women are compelled to commit ‘jauhar’ as a last resort when their men perish fighting.
“Had the women committed jauhar, people would have pointed fingers at the men,” said the general secretary of the Karni Sena, Vishwabandhu Singh Rathore.
“We just do not want families to be destroyed. Even if one woman dies, her entire family will suffer,” added Rathore, who earlier claimed he was one of the men to beat up Padmavaat director Sanjay Leela Bhansali last year during the shooting of the film.
However, Nirmala Rathore said they would take the extreme step if their demand is not met.
“We have been protesting against the film for almost a year now, and this would be the last step to save the honour of Rani Padmini,” she added.
Asked if the Manch would yield to Karni Sena’s request to maintain calm, Nirmala said, “When it’s about our honour, we don’t even listen to ourselves.”
While the Karni Sena is trying to calm down tempers in the state, Rathore said, “Narendra Modi must listen to us. The BJP’s agenda is all about Hindutva, honour and history, and there has been no comment by the PM so far.”
Earlier, the Shatrani Manch had written a letter to the Prime Minister seeking permission to commit suicide if Bhansali’s magnum opus is released.