Why Did Ranbir Kapoor & Alia Bhatt Turn Back From MP’s Mahakaleshwar Temple?

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New Delhi: Parents-to-be Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt on Tuesday turned back without visiting the famous Mahakaleshwar Temple in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain to promote their mega film “Brahmastra Part-1: Shiva.” The couple returned over security worries amid protests over an 11-year-old comment by Ranbir Kapoor. The film’s director, Ayan Mukherji, later visited the temple with the Brahmastra crew to “take the blessings of Lord Shiva”.

However, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra on Wednesday denied that the star couple had been stopped from visiting the temple and claimed that officials had instead requested them to go ahead. “No one stopped them from offering prayers, they decided on their own not to go there. The Ujjain administration has briefed me about entire episode. The couple was requested by the administration to go ahead to offer prayers. There was adequate security, but they decided to not go there. No one stopped them,” NDTV quoted him as saying.

The protests involve Ranbir Kapoor saying in 2011 that he likes beef. “I am a mutton, paya, beef…red meat guy. I’m a big beef guy,” he had said during an interview.

Members of the Bajrang Dal, which is linked to the state’s ruling BJP as part of the Sangh Parivar, gathered at the temple to protest against the comment, which has been circulating on social media. They held black flags and placards and shouted slogans against the film star. The police came in to disperse the protesters and some were even beaten up, the report added.

“Due to VIP movement at the temple, we were taking security calls and the protesters were asked to stay behind the barricading, a member from Bajrang Dal came and started breaching the security due to which we had to take the following security calls,” OP Mishra, a police officer was quoted as saying.

Some social media users have been digging out Ranbir Kapoor’s old interviews and this comment has sparked a huge backlash. Posts have emerged with the hashtag #BoycottBrahmastra on Twitter.