Dispute between members of erstwhile royal family triggers clash at Udaipur palace

Several people were injured in a clash triggered in Rajasthan’s Udaipur after erstwhile royal family member Vishvaraj Singh Mewar was denied entry late on Monday late night into the City Palace following his coronation as the 77th Maharana of Mewar.

A family property dispute overshadowed the coronation as Mewar’s uncle, Arvind Singh, barred his entry into the palace. Mewar was anointed as the head of the erstwhile royal family after his father Mahendra Singh’s death on November 10. The family traces its lineage to Maharana Pratap, the 16th-century ruler of the Mewar Kingdom.

Arvind Singh is the younger brother of the late Mahendra Singh and controls the palace through a trust. The trust had issued legal notices in local dailies warning against unauthorised entry.

Mewar’s “pagari dastur” or coronation ceremony was held at the 7th-century Chittorgarh Fort. Members of erstwhile royal families from across India attended the ceremony marked by a 21-gun salute.

Arvind Singh shut the gates of the Udaipur palace when Mewar, who is also a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker, went there for a post-coronation ritual and to pay respects to the family deity, Eklingnathji. Heavy security was deployed outside the palace to deny him entry.

The district administration unsuccessfully tried to mediate a settlement to ensure Mewar’s entry into the palace.

Udaipur Police superintendent Yogesh Goyal said Mewar was unable to perform the ritual at the palace due to the dispute. He added Mewar’s supporters gathered outside the palace and started protesting. “The administration and police tried to calm them but they started throwing away the barricades and pelting stones, glass bottles, and bricks.”

Goyal said the supporters of Arvind Singh retaliated. “Several people were injured and rushed to the hospital.” Police used mild force to disperse the crowd gathered at the palace.

Goyal said police ensured tight security measures. “Arvind Singh has issued two legal notices, warning against unauthorised entry into the palace and the Eklingnathji Temple.”

Mewar said the situation was not good. “It is a years-old ritual of the [erstwhile] royal family that we have to follow, be it legally or socially or ritually. What happened today was not good. I waited for over five hours at night but yet was denied entry. The situation also showed the failure of the administration to maintain the law and order in the area.”

District collector Arvind Poswal said the administration was in touch with the family members. “We agreed on some terms. But the tension escalated when a group of people got into a violent clash and started throwing stones at each other in front of the palace gate late at night leading to injuries to some people including a few police officers. A police force was deployed in the area and necessary action will be taken against the ones who violated the law and order. The situation is stable now,” said Poswal.