Udaipur, November 26, 2024 - The City Palace witnessed chaotic scenes last night after the newly-anointed Maharana, Rajsamand BJP MLA Vishvaraj Singh Mewar, was denied entry into the palace where he had come to perform rituals of the royal ceremony. Vishvaraj Singh Mewar, along with his supporters, had come to the City Palace to visit the Dhuni Mata temple at around 5:20 pm after a Pagdi Dastoor in Chittorgarh earlier in the day. However, the gates of the City Palace were shut and police were stationed outside. The palace authorities refused to allow entry for the darshan (viewing of the deity).

Supporters of Vishvaraj Singh Mewar became agitated and arguments ensued. Senior police officials, including District Collector Arvind Kumar Poswal and Superintendent of Police (SP) Yogesh Goyal spoke to Vishvaraj Singh Mewar and his supporters and tried to pacify them. But, the dispute between members of the former Mewar royal family spilled on to the streets as stones and glass bottles were thrown from inside the palace. Six persons, including a Circle Inspector (CI) were injured in the stone-pelting. A heavy deployment of police present outside the palace managed to bring the situation under control. However, the gates of the palace remained closed even as Vishvaraj Singh Mewar sat outside on the streets with his supporters for 5-6 hours. Later, at around 1:30 am, he left Lalghat and headed towards Samorbagh after an assurance from Collector Poswal that efforts would be made to sort out the situation in the morning.

Following the dispute, the City District Magistrate seized the disputed area of the City Palace and appointed the Ghantaghar Police Station Officer as Receiver for the site. The officer provided a report, citing the breakdown of law and order. Based on this report, the District Magistrate ordered the seizure of the area from the Badi Pol of the City Palace to Dhuni and Janana Mahal, and a Receiver was appointed to manage the site.

Earlier yesterday, Vishvaraj Singh Mewar was anointed the 77th Maharana of the erstwhile royal family in Chittorgarh fort, following the death of his father, former royal family member and former MP Mahendra Singh Mewar earlier this month. However, because of an on-going dispute between Mahendra Singh Mewar and his estranged younger brother Arvind Singh Mewar, the latter had filed a lawsuit against Vishvaraj Singh Mewar’s scheduled ceremonial visit to the City Palace in Udaipur and the temple of the family deity Eklingnath. Both the temple and the palace are under the control of Arvind Singh Mewar, the chairman and managing trustee of Shree Eklingji Trust in Udaipur.

Mahendra Singh Mewar and his estranged younger brother Arvind Singh Mewar are the descendants of Rajput King Maharana Pratap.