Deepika Requests Smriti Irani To Take Action Following Padmavati Rangoli Vandalism

New Delhi, October 20: Deepika Padukone has requested the Information and Broadcasting minister Smriti Irani to take action against culprits who destroyed a rangoli featuring her as Rani Padmini of her upcoming film Padmavati.

One member of Vishwa Hindu Parishad and four members of Rajput Karni Sena were arrested for vandalizing the rangoli prepared by a local artist at the Rahul Raj Mall on past Sunday. The artist took 48 hours to make the rangoli and posted a picture of it on Twitter. Police arrested the perpetrators on the basis of a video footage displaying men shouting 'Jai Shree Ram' as they destroyed the rangoli.

Surat Police Commissioner Satish Sharma requested mall owners to come forward and file a case against those who do such wrongdoings. "We have arrested five persons, four of them belonging to outfit Karni Sena and one from the VHP. More persons are likely to be arrested as the video footage recovered by us shows 8-10 persons involved in the activity," Sharma said.

"I also want to make it clear that the police will deal with strictness against any such action. Freedom of expression is everyone's right in a democracy, but vandalism will not be allowed," he said.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmavati has been facing a lot of hostility since its inception. Bhansali was attacked last year by members of Karni Sena who claim that history is being distorted in Bhansali's film. The same group burnt posters last month featuring Deepika, Shahid, and Ranveer. They have also warned to thwart the screening of the film if facts were twisted. The movie is scheduled to release on December 1, 2017.