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Indian rival royal factions clash outside palace

Police officers surrounded City Palace in Udaipur after Monday's unrest when the older brother, head of the historic royal family of Mewar, was blocked from entry by his younger brother

Published: Tue 26 Nov 2024, 3:00 PM

Updated: Tue 26 Nov 2024, 3:31 PM

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  • AFP

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City Palace in Udaipur in India's desert state of Rajasthan. Indian government officials were forced to intervene on Tuesday at the luxurious hilltop City Palace after arguments between rival royal brothers sparked clashes between stone-throwing loyalists outside its fortified gates. AFP

City Palace in Udaipur in India's desert state of Rajasthan. Indian government officials were forced to intervene on Tuesday at the luxurious hilltop City Palace after arguments between rival royal brothers sparked clashes between stone-throwing loyalists outside its fortified gates. AFP

Indian government officials took temporary control Tuesday at a luxurious hilltop palace in Rajasthan after arguments between rival royal brothers sparked clashes between stone-throwing loyalists outside its fortified gates.

Police officers surrounded the 450-year-old City Palace in Udaipur after the unrest on Monday night when the older brother Vishvaraj Singh -- head of the historic royal family of Mewar -- was blocked from entry by his younger brother, Arvind Singh.

But top district administration official Arvind Kumar Poswal told reporters Tuesday that the "law and order situation is well under control" and that "talks are ongoing with palace representatives".

Government authorities backed by the police intervened to take temporary control of the area, he said.

Vishvaraj Singh, a BJP MLA, was anointed as successor of the Mewar royal family after his father died this month.

To take up his post, Vishvaraj needed to pray at a family shrine inside the City Palace fort, which is managed by a trust controlled by his estranged younger brother.

There have been long-running arguments between the brothers rooted in property disputes, according to The Times of India.

Udaipur's City Palace is a hugely popular tourist attraction, a sprawling complex with a flamboyant white facade.

It lies close to another royal residence, Udaipur's Lake Palace, which has been converted into a luxury hotel and featured in the 1983 James Bond spy film "Octopussy".

India's maharajas, who once ruled over around 140 million people across 565 princely states, saw their powers diluted after the country's independence from British imperial rule in 1947.

But while they became ordinary citizens in the eyes of the law, many of the families retained their social grandeur and influence -- and continue to be revered as royalty by their local populations.

Some families also shifted into politics.

They include Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union minister for communications, who is also the grandson of the last ruler of the princely state of Gwalior.



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