

“There is a complete abdication of the agencies which are supposed to protect the rights of people which has resulted in utter lawlessness in Rajasthan. Kavita Srivastava of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) strongly condemned the police inaction in the matter. I am scared for my safety but the police haven’t provided me with any security cover,” alleged Meghwal. “I sent a written complaint to the police superintendent and range inspector general and got advice in return that I should switch off my phone. Meghwal, who has a long history of activism, added that this is an effort to subdue the voices of the Dalits so that they cannot present their side of the historical narrative. But where does the freedom of expression go if instead of any debate, people start threatening the author?” Meghwal, the younger sister of Rajasthan assembly speaker Kailash Meghwal, asked. “If any person objects to what I have written, he is welcome to write something in retaliation or to even register a court case.

Maharana Pratap was also a Bhil who was later elevated as the ruler of Mewar in a ceremony to make him a suryavanshi,” Meghwal told HT. “The Bhil community has traditionally been spread all over Mewar and was known for their martial prowess. Meghwal, who has made the claim in her book Maharana Pratap Bhil Rajputra The - Kshatriya Ya Rajput Nahi, said the word Bhil comes from the Sanskrit word Bhilla, which means brave and martial. The author of over 65 books also alleged that she has received calls from individuals who claimed they were from the ‘Indian Army’ and also abused and threatened her. I haven’t ventured from my house in the last 7 days,” 69-year-old writer said.

Some of the callers claim they are from the Karni Sena while others say they are Thakurs. “I have been getting calls from unknown numbers who are threatening to kill me for writing the book. Kusum Meghwal told Hindustan Times she has been getting phone calls for the past 1 week from unknown people who abuse her and use profanities. But its loyalty always belonged to his master, Maharana Pratap and so he didn’t eat anything nor drank any water and on the 18 th day after his imprisonment, he died.An acclaimed Dalit writer in Rajasthan has said she is being threatened for suggesting in a 2015 book that Rajput warrior king Maharana Pratap belonged to the Bhil community and was only elevated as the Rana of Mewar later. After Ramprasad, the elephant killed two war elephants, Akbar ordered his force to capture Ramprasad at any cost and for the same 7 war elephants were sent to catch Ramprasad. But Maharana Pratap owned an elephant too who is said to have crushed the Mughal army in a battle.

