Right wing group stalls shoot of Ali Fazal's 'Victoria and Abdul' in Agra over Queen Victoria's statue

The shoot of British-American drama

Victoria And Abdul

, starring Ali Fazal and Judi Dench, was stalled in

Agra

on Friday by

Bajrang Dal

members. The protesters had taken offence over the setting up of a statue of Queen Victoria at

Mehtab Bagh

. A scene was being shot where Fazal's character, Abdul, kisses the feet of a statue of Queen Victoria, that was put up against the Taj's backdrop.

The statue of Queen Victoria covered up by the crew to stop the protesters from vandalizing it (BCCL/ Hemant Kumar)

Bunty Thakur, city convenor, Bajrang Dal, Agra, said, 'On October 2, we wanted to take a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi inside Mehtab Bagh, but the ASI didn't allow us. Now, the film's team has put a huge statue of Queen Victoria inside the Bagh without permission. We will continue protesting till the statue is removed.'

READ ALSO: Judi Dench's royal gesture for Ali Fazal

The protesters claimed that the film's team has taken permission to shoot, but not to install the statue. They also said that the crew has put up tea and snacks counters, while rules state that people are not allowed to take food and beverage inside Mehtab Bagh.

Protesters stall the shoot and shout slogans (BCCL/ Hemant Kumar)

When asked about the issue, Dr Bhuvan Vikram, Superintending Archaeologist, ASI, Agra circle, said, 'I need to look into the issue. Once I see what the problem is, only then can I comment on it.' Later, he added, 'In ignorance, people can do certain things. But as soon as the crew was told about the rule regarding food stalls, they did abide by law and did away with the stalls.'

The police tries to reason with the protesters (BCCL/ Hemant Kumar)

The shoot eventually resumed when the protesters left after police intervention. BS Tyagi, circle officer, Thana Chatta, said, 'The Bajrang Dal members wanted to see the permission document for the shoot. When it was shown to them, they left without creating any further ruckus.'

- Jyoti.Kanyal @timesgroup.com