AKIPRESS.COM - Over 100 people belonging to different outfits were today arrested in India while participating in protests against the film “Padmaavat” in some major cities of Chhattisgarh, the Hindustan Times reported.

Period drama ‘Padmaavat’ finally opened on Thursday amid heightened security owing to fears of widespread riots. Police are on high alert across several states after protesters pledged to disrupt the release of the movie, a Bollywood epic about a Hindu queen.

Violent protests escalated this week with hundreds of demonstrators rampaging through the streets of Ahmedabad. Acts of vandalism were reported from Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana on Wednesday.

A school bus was vandalised in Gurgaon while a Haryana Roadways bus was torched on Wednesday.

State police chiefs promised increased protection for cinema halls on Thursday but the movie will not be screened in the BJP-ruled states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Goa, the Multiplex Association of India said.

Former Rajasthan governor Margaret Alva says decision regarding watching the film ‘Padmaavat’ should be left to individuals.

Majority of cinema halls in Bihar refuse to screen the movie, fearing vandalism. Roads were blocked at more than half a dozen places in the state while protestors blocked train movement at Chapra, Nalanda and Gaya.

The protests are being spearheaded by Rajput groups and their allies unhappy with the depiction of legendary queen Padmini in the movie