Controversy marred BJP MLA Vishvaraj Singh Mewar’s “anointment” as the head of erstwhile royal family of Mewar after he was locked out of the family’s palace grounds and temple in Udaipur over a property dispute. The incident comes amid a legal battle between the BJP leader’s family and his uncle Arvind Singh Mewar. Vishvaraj Singh, a BJP MLA from Nathdwara, was “anointed” the head of the erstwhile royal family in a traditional ceremony in Chittorgarh. The ceremony came a day after his father and former Chittorgarh MP Mahendra Singh Mewar passed away. Soon after the ceremony, the MLA made to enter the Udaipur City Palace to visit the family deity inside, but found police pickets. When Mewar and his supporters allegedly broke through the barricades, they found a large contingent of police inside. Significantly, the palace grounds are currently under the control of Arvind Singh Mewar, the younger brother of Mahendra Singh Mewar. The property dispute is currently being heard in the Rajasthan High Court. As the chaos escalated, Udaipur District Collector Arvind Poswal and Superintendent of Police Yogesh Goyal went to mediate. On his part, Vishvaraj Singh has claimed it was “illegal” to prevent him from entering the temple. “Property disputes are a different matter. But whatever is happening is wrong, both from traditional and legal points of view. It’s not right to prevent me from going to the temple,” he told the media outside the palace grounds. District Collector Arvind Poswal said both parties were "negotiating". “It is expected that the parties will reach a conclusion soon," he told The Indian Express. In two public notices issued by Arvind’s lawyer, it was alleged that an attempt to "trespass" was made in the name of the ceremony, and unauthorised persons would be prohibited from entering the temple and the city palace. After the notices, policemen have been deployed outside the gates of the city palace to maintain law and order. – With PTI inputs
