Ahmedabad, (The Telegraph): Suspected VHP activists today hurled stones at Shah Rukh Khan's car parked at a hotel in Ahmedabad, damaging its rear windshield.

The actor, who is shooting for his film Raees in Gujarat, was not at the hotel when the vandals struck around 4.30am, police said. The incident was captured by a CCTV camera at the hotel on Ashram Road.

On a complaint by the hotel, an FIR for rioting and damaging property was registered at Vadaj police station and seven persons were arrested - Jwalit Mehta, the VHP city president, among them. The complaint said eight to 10 persons reached the parking lot on bikes, threw stones at the car and fled.

Vadaj police inspector V.J. Rathod said the hotel had hired around 20 cars for the film crew and all were parked there. Stones were thrown at the black Mercedes meant for Shah Rukh's use.

Shah Rukh has been under attack from Sangh and BJP activists since he spoke out in November against the atmosphere of intolerance in the country. The screening of his last film, Dilwale, was stopped at theatres in several states on the first weekend of its release, hitting box-office collections.

VHP state secretary Ranchod Bharwad said: "The arrested persons are likely to be released."

He added that the outfit had tried to disrupt the Raees shooting today. "We could not disrupt the shooting at Sarkhej Roja, where there was heavy police presence," Bharwad said.

The organisation's city secretary, Raju Patel, said the stone-pelting was part of ongoing protests against the actor. Last week, when Shah Rukh was shooting in Bhuj district, the VHP had staged protests and asked the district collector to withdraw permission for the shooting.

"Nilesh Arya and others named in the FIR are associated with VHP. We have been protesting against Shah Rukh's remark that India has become intolerant," Patel said. Shah Rukh had said there is intolerance in the country, not that India as a whole has become intolerant.

Raees, due for release this July, is based on the life of Ahmedabad-based gangster Abdul Latif, who dominated the crime scene in the eighties and was so popular he won civic elections from five municipal wards simultaneously while he was in jail. He was later killed in a police encounter. The film is being made by Rahul Dholakia, whose earlier film Parzania based on the 2002 riots was not allowed to be screened in Gujarat, following protests from the VHP.

Aamir at PM dinner

Actor Aamir Khan, who was dropped as brand ambassador for the Centre's Incredible India campaign after he too spoke out against intolerance, last night attended a dinner hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Mumbai after the launch of the Make in India week, adds PTI.

Photo credit: (The Telegraph)