Bhansali no less guilty: Yogi Adityanath

Virtually equating Padmavati producer Sanjay Leela Bhansali and those declaring bounty on latter's head, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday said that Bhansali had no "right" to "hurt the sentiments" of the people.

"Bhansali is no less guilty," Adityanath said while speaking to reporters in Gorakhpur when asked about threats to the filmmaker by some fringe groups.

He said that law was equal to everyone and no one had the right to take the law into his hands. "Those who have threatened Bhansali are guilty... but Bhansali too should not have hurt the sentiments of crores of people," he said.

Several fringe grou277/Roshanps and members of Rajput community have announced a reward to whoever beheads Bhansali. One fringe group even called for burning Deepika Padukone alive.

The chief minister said that the state government had already apprised the Centre and the Censor Board of its stand on the film.

Adityanath had earlier said that there must not be any attempt to distort history in films. "Films are not only for entertainment... they also have educational and moral values," he had said.

UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya had earlier declared that the movie would not be allowed to be screened in the state without removing the objectionable content.

"There is no question of allowing screening of the film without cuts," Maurya had said recently.

The state government has written to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Ministry of Home Affairs seeking the deferment of the film's release saying that it could trigger law and order problems in the state at a time when the polling for local body elections are going on.