Rampage in Indian city against ‘Padmaavat’ release today

AHMEDABAD, India: Hundreds of protesters went on a rampage vandalising malls and torching vehicles in the Indian city of Ahmedabad in a bid to stop the release of a controversial Bollywood film scheduled for Thursday.

Violence against "Padmaavat", a film about a mythical Hindu queen, started late Tuesday and continued into the night in the main city of Prime Minister Narendra Modi´s home state of Gujarat.

Several hundred people attacked shops in malls, set alight 50 motorbikes and damaged more than 150 cars across the city, police said. Protesters claim the film falsely depicts a romance between 14th century Hindu queen Padmavati and Muslim ruler Alauddin Khilji. The producers deny this and insist the movie portrays her respectfully.

Gujarat home minister Pradipsinh Jadeja said 10 people were arrested on Tuesday and would be "dealt with strictly". "These are anti-social elements who are attempting to disrupt the peace in the state," Jadeja told journalists.

Police said the names of more than 500 suspects for rioting and unlawful assembly had been registered across Gujarat. At least 100 suspects had been detained and could face charges over the riots, a senior police officer in Ahmedabad told AFP. "Their accounts, and CCTV footage from different areas, is being verified. Some of them may be arrested later," the officer said on condition of anonymity.

Threats by Hindu fringe groups against "Padmaavat" have forced police to step up security around cinemas across the country. Police in Mumbai rounded up 50 suspects affiliated with hardline groups in a "pre-emptive action" ahead of the release, said the city´s police spokesman Deepak Deoraj. Hindu protesters had set car tires ablaze during a demonstration in India´s financial capital on Tuesday.

Radical groups have blocked roads and burned buses and toll both in protests against the movie in recent days. A caste-based group, the Shree Rajput Karni Sena, has threatened to attack cinemas showing the film. It was not known if they were linked to the Ahmedabad troubles.