'Ashram 3' set vandalised, Prakash Jha and crew manhandled by Bajrang Dal

Filmmaker Prakash Jha was roughed up, his face smeared with ink on Sunday after Bajrang Dal members went on a rampage on the set of his web series in Bhopal, the police said. Members of the right-wing group said Prakash Jha's web series 'Ashram' starring Bobby Deol was an assault on Hinduism, and they will not allow its filming till the title is changed.

Videos showed Bajrang Dal members chasing down crew, managing to catch at least one of them and beating him mercilessly with a metal light stand.

A mob of Bajrang Dal members shouted slogans like "Prakash Jha Murdabad", "Bobby Deol Murdabad" and "Jai Shri Ram" as they attacked the set at Old Jail Premises located in Arera Hills in the evening.

"They made Ashram 1, Ashram 2 and were shooting Ashram 3 here. Prakash Jha showed in Ashram that the guru was abusing women. Does he have the guts to make such a film on a church or madrasa? Who does he think he is?" Bajrang Dal leader Sushil Surhele said.

Bajrang Dal members also said that this is a warning for Bobby Deol, who should learn something from his brother Sunny Deol. 

Even though no one from Jha's team has pressed charges, the police have said that those involved will be identified and arrested.

"Action will be taken against those who disrupted the shooting and vandalised property today itself. They will be arrested," senior police officer Irshad Wali said.

"Anti-social elements ransacked vehicles created trouble. Crew members of Ashram will be given full security to ensure this does not happen again," he added.

In 2017, another right-wing group Karni Sena had attacked the sets of the Deepika Padukone-starrer 'Padmaavat', assaulting director Sanjay Leela Bhansali and other crew members and forcing the movie to modify scenes and change its name from 'Padmaavati'.