The Maharashtra government’s assurances of security fell flat on Tuesday as the Shiv Sena, smarting from its botched attempt at disrupting Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi’s visit, vandalised theatres in Mumbai where advance booking for actor Shah Rukh Khan’s film My Name Is Khan had opened.
Following his Indian Premier League stand, the party has made Mr. Khan the target of a virulent campaign, to the extent of calling him a traitor and asking him to leave for Pakistan.
The Sena’s protests against the release of the movie kicked off on Tuesday, four days ahead of its release slated for February 12. Sainiks targeted multiplexes in Mulund, Bhandup, Ghatkopar and Kanjur Marg.
They went on the rampage smashing box office windows, throwing stones and disrupting the screenings of other movies.
54 arrested
By the end of the day, the Mumbai police had arrested 54 Sena workers for rioting. Preventive arrests numbering over a hundred were also being made.
The Sena’s attack took place even as the film’s director Karan Johar met Mumbai Police Commissioner D. Sivanandan on Tuesday morning to seek an assurance of security.
