Mahipal Singh Makrana is a prominent social and political leader of the Rajput community in India. He is the founder and national president of Shri Rajput Karni Sena, a group that claims to protect the honor and dignity of the Rajputs. He is also a vocal critic of Bollywood films that he believes distort the history and culture of the Rajputs.
Early Life and Education
Mahipal Singh was born on August 9, 1978, in Makrana, a town in the Nagaur district of Rajasthan. He belongs to the Rathore clan of Rajputs, who trace their ancestry to the legendary king Raja Ratan Singh of Mewar. He completed his schooling at a local government school and then pursued a bachelor’s degree in arts from Maharaja College, Jaipur. He also holds a master’s degree in political science from Rajasthan University.
Political and Social Career
Makrana started his political career as a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the ruling party in India. He contested the 2008 Rajasthan Assembly elections from the Makrana constituency but lost to the Congress candidate. He remained associated with the BJP until 2014 when he decided to quit the party and form his group, Shri Rajput Karni Sena.
Shri Rajput Karni Sena is a socio-cultural organization that aims to unite and empower the Rajput community. It also claims to safeguard the interests and rights of the Rajputs, who are a dominant caste group in Rajasthan and other parts of India. The group has been involved in various protests and agitations against the alleged misrepresentation and defamation of the Rajput history and culture in films, books, and media.
Mahipal Singh Makrana Wiki/Bio
Controversies
Some of the notable controversies that Mahipal Singh Makrana and his group have been involved in are:
In 2008, they protested against the film Jodhaa Akbar, directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, for allegedly portraying the Rajput queen Jodha Bai as the wife of the Mughal emperor Akbar. They claimed that Jodha Bai was the daughter of Raja Bharmal of Amer and the wife of Akbar’s son Jahangir. They also objected to the use of the term ‘Akbar’ instead of ‘Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar’ in the film. They vandalized cinema halls and burnt posters of the film in Rajasthan and other states.
In 2017, they attacked the sets of the film Padmaavat, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, in Jaipur and Kolhapur. They accused the filmmaker of distorting the history and honor of the Rajput queen Padmavati, who is revered as a symbol of bravery and sacrifice by the Rajputs. They alleged that the film had a romantic dream sequence between Padmavati and the Muslim invader Alauddin Khilji, which the filmmaker denied. They also threatened to chop off the nose of the actress Deepika Padukone, who played the role of Padmavati and behead the filmmaker. They demanded a ban on the release of the film and staged violent protests across the country.
In 2018, they opposed the film Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi, directed by Kangana Ranaut, for allegedly showing the relationship between the queen of Jhansi, Rani Lakshmibai, and a British officer. They claimed that the film was an insult to the queen, who fought against British rule in India. They also accused the filmmaker of not obtaining the consent of the descendants of the queen before making the film. They threatened to burn the cinema halls that screened the film.
In 2019, they protested against the film Panipat, directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, for allegedly portraying the Rajput king Maharaja Surajmal of Bharatpur in a negative light. They claimed that the film showed the king as a greedy and cunning ruler, who refused to help the Maratha army in the third battle of Panipat against the Afghan invader Ahmad Shah Abdali. They also objected to the use of the term ‘Jat’ instead of ‘Rajput’ for the king and his community. They burnt effigies of the filmmaker and the actors and demanded an apology from them. They also sought a ban on the release of the film in Rajasthan and other states.
Personal Life, Spouse, and Family
Mahipal Singh is married to Sunita Devi, who is also a Rajput. They have two sons and a daughter. His elder son, Rohit Rathore Makrana, is also a member of the Shri Rajput Karni Sena and has been accused of being involved in the murder of Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi, the national president of another faction of the Karni Sena, on December 5, 2023. His younger son, Nitin Fauji, is a resident of Mahendragarh, Haryana, and has also been named as a suspect in the same case. His daughter, Ritu Rathore, is married to a Rajput from Jaipur.
Mahipal Singh Makrana lives in a lavish bungalow in Jaipur, which is decorated with portraits of Rajput heroes and legends. He also owns several properties and businesses in Rajasthan and other states. He is known for his lavish lifestyle and extravagant spending. He is fond of luxury cars, bikes, and horses. He also likes to wear expensive clothes and jewelry. He is a follower of Karni Mata, a Hindu folk deity who is believed to be an incarnation of Goddess Durga by her devotees. He often visits her temple in Deshnoke, Rajasthan, and seeks her blessings.
Caste and Religion
Mahipal Makrana belongs to the Rajput caste, which is a Hindu upper-caste group that claims to be the descendants of the ancient Kshatriya warriors. The Rajputs are divided into several clans, such as Rathore, Chauhan, Sisodia, Kachwaha, Bhati, Solanki, and so on. The Rajputs have a history of ruling over various regions of India, especially Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar. They are known for their valor, pride, honor, and loyalty.
They have also been involved in several battles and wars against the Muslim invaders, the British colonizers, and other rival kingdoms. The Rajputs follow the Hindu religion and worship various gods and goddesses, such as Shiva, Vishnu, Durga, Ram, Krishna, and so on. They also have a strong faith in their ancestral and regional deities, such as Karni Mata, Ramdev, Pabuji, and so on.
The Rajputs have a patriarchal and hierarchical social structure, where the men are the heads of the family and the community, and the women are expected to be obedient and submissive. The Rajputs also practice the customs of jauhar and sati, where the women commit self-immolation to protect their honor and chastity from their enemies. The Rajputs are also known for their strict adherence to the caste system and endogamy, where they marry within their clan and caste. They also have a strong sense of identity and pride in their caste and culture.
Karni Sena and its Ideology
Karni Sena, or Shri Rajput Karni Sena, is a socio-political organization that was founded by Mahipal Singh Makrana in 2014. It is a splinter group of the original Karni Sena, which was formed by Lokendra Singh Kalvi in 2006. The Karni Sena claims to be the representative and protector of the Rajput community and its interests and rights. It also claims to be the guardian and defender of the Rajput history and culture, which it believes is being distorted and defamed by the film industry, the media, and the academia.
The Karni Sena follows the ideology of Hindutva, or Hindu nationalism, which advocates the supremacy of the Hindu religion and culture over other religions and cultures in India. It also supports the BJP, the ruling party in India, and its policies and programs. The Karni Sena has a hierarchical and centralized organizational structure, where Mahipal Singh is the supreme leader and the final authority. It also has various state, district, and local units, which are headed by different office-bearers and members. The Karni Sena has a large and loyal following among the Rajput youth, who are attracted by its aggressive and militant style of functioning.
The Karni Sena has been involved in several violent and disruptive activities, such as attacking film sets and crews, vandalizing cinema halls and public property, threatening and assaulting filmmakers and actors, blocking roads and highways, and staging protests and rallies. The Karni Sena has also been accused of inciting communal and caste tensions, spreading hatred and misinformation, and violating the law and order. The Karni Sena has been banned and blacklisted by several state governments and the central government, and many of its leaders and members have been arrested and booked under various charges.
Karni Sena leader demands ‘UP lines’ punishment for killers of Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi
Who was Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi?
Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi was the national president of Shree Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena, a right-wing organization that claims to represent the interests of the Rajput caste in India. He was also a former MLA from Sikar district in Rajasthan.
How was he killed?
On December 5, 2023, Gogamedi was shot dead by two unidentified bike-borne assailants at his residence in Jaipur. He was rushed to a hospital where he was declared dead. One of the attackers, Naveen Singh Shekhawat, was also killed in the exchange of fire with Gogamedi’s security guard, while the other managed to escape. The police recovered two pistols, a bike, and a helmet from the spot.
What is the motive behind the murder?
The police have formed a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the case and have identified the suspects as Rohit Rathore Makrana and Nitin Fauji, both residents of Haryana. According to the police, the murder was linked to a land dispute between Gogamedi and a notorious gangster named Rohit Godara, who is currently lodged in a jail in Rajasthan.
Godara had allegedly hired the two shooters to eliminate Gogamedi, who had filed a case against him over a 25-acre land in Sikar. The police have also claimed that Godara had connections with some political leaders and businessmen who wanted Gogamedi out of their way.
What is the reaction of Karni Sena and the Rajput community?
The murder of Gogamedi has sparked outrage and protests among the Karni Sena and the Rajput community in Rajasthan and other states. Several markets and shops remained closed on December 6, 2023, as a mark of respect for the slain leader. The Karni Sena also demanded a CBI inquiry into the case and compensation of Rs 1 crore for Gogamedi’s family.
VIDEO | Supporters of Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena president Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi, who was murdered on Tuesday, hold protest in Jaipur. pic.twitter.com/y9DpRGB95r
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 6, 2023The most vocal and radical demand came from Mahipal Singh Makrana, the national president of Shree Rajput Karni Sena, a rival faction of Gogamedi’s group. Makrana demanded that the killers of Gogamedi should be given the same punishment as the ‘UP lines’ case, where a teacher was brutally thrashed and made to write ‘I am sorry’ 500 times by the parents of a student for allegedly beating him up.
Makrana said that the killers should be made to write ‘I am sorry’ 500 times with their blood and then hanged to death. He also threatened to launch a nationwide agitation if the government failed to arrest the culprits and deliver justice to Gogamedi.
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