Bollywood epic Padmavati, about 14th-century Hindu queen, has provoked mobs rioting in the streets ahead of its release
Radical groups have blocked roads and burned buses and toll boths in protests against the film in recent days
Hundreds of protesters went on a rampage vandalising malls and torching vehicles in the Indian city of Ahmadabad in a bid to stop the release of a controversial Bollywood film scheduled for Thursday.
Violence against Padmaavat, a film about a mythical Hindu queen, started late on Tuesday and continued into the night in the main city of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat.
Several hundred people attacked shops in malls, set alight 50 motorbikes and damaged more than 150 cars across the city, police said.
Protesters claim the film falsely depicts a romance between 14th-century Hindu queen Padmavati and Muslim ruler Alauddin Khilji. The producers deny this and insist the film portrays her respectfully.
Gujarat home minister Pradipsinh Jadeja said 10 people were arrested on Tuesday and would be “dealt with strictly”.
“These are antisocial elements who are attempting to disrupt the peace in the state,” Jadeja told journalists.
Police said the names of more than 500 suspects for rioting and unlawful assembly had been registered across Gujarat.