Udaipur violence: Maharana’s 1984 will root cause of Mewar royal family clash?

Vishvaraj, the BJP MLA from Nathdwara, was stopped by his cousin Lakshay Raj Singh Mewar

Just hours after being named the ceremonial head of the Mewar royal family, Vishvaraj Singh was not allowed entry into the historic Udaipur City Palace to pay obeisance on Monday.

Vishvaraj, the BJP MLA from Nathdwara, was stopped by his cousin Lakshay Raj Singh Mewar, the son of the current trustee of the palace Shreeji Arvind Singh Mewar, from entering the palace, which led to stone-pelting by Vishvaraj’s supporters. Lakshay’s supporters too retaliated and this resulted in chaos at the City Palace. There is heavy deployment of police in the city.

Root cause 

On Monday morning, the Udaipur Palace trust issued two notices stating that unauthorised entry into its palaces and trusts won't be allowed. His late Highness, Maharana Bhupal Singhji of Mewar, created the Shri Eklingji Trust in April 1955.  Bhagwat Singh, the 75th Maharana and grandfather of Vishvraj Singh, had two sons - Mahendra Singh and Arvind Singh. Before his death, Bhagwat Singh had given the trust's control to his younger son, Arvind Singh. But he kept Mahendra Singh, father of Vishvraj Singh, out of it. According to  NDTV, an upset Mahendra Singh even took his father to the court due to this. This led to Bhagwat Singh "banning"  his eldest son from the family in his last will dated May 15, 1984. He appointed his younger son as its executor. Arvind Singh became the trust's chairman after his father's death in November the same year.

After Mahendra Singh's death this year, his son Vishraj Singh was anointed the 77th Maharana of Mewar at a traditional coronation ceremony in the historic Chittorgarh Fort. However, according to the  palace trust's notice, Vishvraj Singh is neither a trustee nor does he hold any legal title in the trust. The Mewars are descendants of Maharana Pratap, who fought against the Mughals at Haldighati.

How did the Monday chaos begin?

Arvind Singh Mewar had put up notices in the local newspapers warning legal action against those who attempt to trespass or damage the property. After his coronation, Vishvraj Singh decided to seek the blessings of his family deity. He wanted to visit the Dhuni Mata temple in the palace complex and the Ekling Shiv Temple about 50 km from Udaipur. Both are managed by the trust run by his uncle Arvind Singh Mewar.  The palace, however, shut its gate when Vishvraj wanted to enter the temple.  This angered his supporters, who tried breaking down the barricades erected by the administration. Visuals showed stones landing from both sides as cops tried to control the mob.

Udaipur, Rajasthan: Following the dispute and stone pelting incident on 25th Nov the gates of City Palace are still closed, with barricades set up for security reasons. Police personnel have been deployed at the site. According to reports, supporters of BJP MLA Vishvaraj Singh pic.twitter.com/4JTS8aYLyi
IANS (@ians_india) November 26, 2024

According to the notice, Vishvraj was trying to commit "criminal trespass" in the palace with a rally to fulfil their personal interests.

Collector Arvind Poswal and Superintendent of Police Yogesh Goyal held talks with Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, the son of Arvind Singh Mewar, separately. The talks, however, remained inconclusive.

Following Monday’s chaos, the district administration reportedly  appointed a receiver to oversee a controversial portion of Udaipur's City Palace.