Violence breaks outside Udaipur City Palace, new Mewar ‘King’ blames administration

A day after the royal dispute between Mewar scions spilled onto streets and sparked violence outside the Udaipur City Palace, the newly-anointed Mewar King and Nathdwara MLA Vishvaraj Singh on Tuesday hit out at the city administration, alleging inaction over stone-pelting and violence that left six people injured the previous night.

Speaking to agencies, Vishvaraj Singh said, “The local administration should definitely be questioned on incidents like stone-pelting which were seen on Monday night.”

“People were injured, however, police were seen watching the entire scene like mute spectators. Surprisingly, no action has been taken till now,” he added.

Vishvaraj Singh, after being anointed as the ‘king’, was to follow a ritual of visiting Udaipur City Palace for ‘Dhuni Darshan’ as per the tradition of the Mewar family.

However, his uncle Arvind Singh Mewar got the gates of City Palace closed and got barricades placed on the road to prevent the new ‘King’ from forcibly entering the former royal property that is central to the controversy.

Vishvaraj Singh had to return around 1.30 am on Tuesday, asking his followers also to leave after alleged stone-pelting left around six people injured.

Asked if he would again attempt to carry out the dhooni darshan ritual in the City Palace, Vishvaraj told IANS, “Let’s not call it a ritual, it’s a tradition. I wanted to follow it, however, the administration was so helpless that they could not get the gates opened so it was not possible.”

On being stopped from entering the Udaipur City Palace, Vishvaraj Singh said, “Look at it from any social or legal point of view, this is wrong. This is family property. It is a custom that we have to go and pay obeisance. I pray to Eklingnath to bless everyone.”

Succession row heats up in Udaipur

A few hours after the coronation ceremony of Nathdwara MLA Vishvaraj Singh, who is the scion of the erstwhile Mewar dynasty, the Rajasthan government on Tuesday, seized a part of the City Palace, which remains disputed among Mewar family members.

The officials had to act tough after the dispute between the erstwhile royals of the Mewar family turned ugly leaving many injured in stone pelting on Monday night.

Stone pelting started at this site on Monday night when two parties, one representing Vishvaraj Singh camp and another from his uncle Arvind Singh Mewar came face to face.

This left Vishvaraj Singh’s followers infuriated. They gathered in large numbers outside Udaipur City Palace.

It was the first time on Monday that such a fight was witnessed among the descendants of Maharana Pratap. At the same time, around 1.30 am on Tuesday, the administration seized the disputed place and appointed a receiver.

This entire dispute arose after the death of a former member of the royal family of Daiyapur and former MP Mahendra Singh Mewar, which followed the tradition of anointing his elder son Vishvaraj Singh Mewar on the throne.

(Compiled from syndicated feed)