Videos of violent riots outside Udaipur’s historic City Palace have gone viral on social media. According to the reports, the incident occurred late at night on 25th November 2024 and many people were injured in it. Maharana Mahendra Singh Mewar was a Lok Sabha MP and the titular head of the erstwhile Kingdom of Mewar. He passed away recently on 10th November 2024. He has an estranged real-younger brother, Arvind Singh Mewar. Both Mahendra Singh & Arvind Singh are descendants of the legendary Rajput King Maharana Pratap. They both claimed to be the 76th custodian (king) of the House of Mewar. As a result, there was a severe dispute between the brothers about the ownership & leadership of the Royal House of Mewar causing the brothers to become estranged. Soon, the dispute turned into a legal case, and in 2020, the court divided the royal estate into 4 equal shares between Mahendra Singh, Arvind Singh, and their respective sons. On 25th November 2024, Mahendra Singh’s son, BJP MLA Vishvaraj Singh Mewar was coronated as the 77th Maharana of Mewar at 10 am at the famous Chittorgarh Fort to concede the title. The coronation ceremony was conducted as per centuries-old traditions. During the ceremony, an aristocrat cut his finger with a sword and used the blood to anoint Vishvaraj, known as the “raj tilak.” The now Maharana Vishvaraj Singh Mewar visited the City Palace and the royal family’s (kul-devta) deity’s Eklingnath Ji Temple in Udaipur, as it is a ritual of the Mewar Royal family to visit both the sites after the coronation. However, Maharana Vishvaraj and his supporters were denied entry into both. Udaipur’s City Palace & Eklingnath Ji Temple are managed by Arvind Singh. He is the chairman and managing trustee of the Eklingnath Ji Temple’s trust and Maharana Mewar Charitable Foundation (MMCF) which manages the City Palace. According to the reports, Arvind Singh issued a public notice to stop Maharana Vishvaraj Singh from his planned visit. While Maharana Vishvaraj waited for several hours a few meters away from the City Palace gates, his supporters attempted to cross the barricades to enter the City Palace forcefully. This led the tension to escalate into physical fights between the supporters of Maharana Vishvaraj and Arvind Singh. Both sides’ supporters pelted stones at each other. Dozens of people including 3 policemen got injured in the protest. Videos of the violent clash went viral on social media.

Udaipur’s Superintendent of Police (SP) Yogesh Goyal & District Collector Arvind Kumar Poswal had to intervene to control the situation. Later, district collector Poswal assured the public and media that law and order had been restored. He also said that representatives of Maharana Vishvaraj and Arvind Singh were in talks and certain issues had already been resolved. Maharana Vishvaraj said it was unjust to stop a royal ritual. He said, “Property disputes are a different matter. But whatever is happening is wrong, both from traditional and legal points of view. It’s not right to prevent me from going to the temple.” Arvind Singh’s son Lakshyaraj Singh accused Maharana Vishvaraj of politicising the situation and misusing his position. He said, “We are legal occupants of City Palace. If they have any objection, this can be challenged in the court of law.” On 26th November 2024, Udaipur district authorities appointed ‘receivers’ at the City Palace & the Eklingnath Ji Temple. (A receiver is a person appointed by the court, government or regulatory authorities to manage a person or company’s assets, finances, and/or operations.) On 27th November 2024, Maharana Vishvaraj visited the City Palace & the Eklingnath Ji Temple under heavy security and completed his coronation ritual. No case or FIR has been filed yet.

Tags

• maharana pratap
• udaipur
• royal family

Advertisement