Around 400 women activists on Tuesday made an attempt to defy a centuries-old ban on female devotees entering the sacred platform at Shani Shingnapur temple in Ahmednagar district but it was foiled by
Around 400 women activists on Tuesday made an attempt to defy a centuries-old ban on female devotees entering the sacred platform at Shani Shingnapur temple in Ahmednagar district but it was foiled by the police when they were stopped at a village, 70 km from the shrine. The activists, who tried to head to the popular temple defying prohibitory orders to worship the deity, were detained by the police at Supa village for a few hours and released in the evening and sent back to Pune in busloads.
As a showdown erupted, Maharashtra CM Deven-dra Fadnavis favoured a dialogue between temple authorities and activists to find a way out over the ban on entry of women into the inner sanctum of the shrine, maintaining that women have a right to pray. “Indian culture and Hindu religion gives women the right to pray. A change in yesterday’s traditions is our culture. Discrimina-tion in praying is not in our culture. The temple authorities should resolve the issue through a dialogue,” tweeted Mr Fadnavis, who also holds the home portfolio. Minister of state for home Ram Shinde said the government will facilitate talks between the temple authorities and activists to arrive at an amicable solution
The Ahmednagar police stopped the activists of Pune-based “Ranaragini Bhoomata Brigade,” prote-sting against the gender bias by the temple, led by Ms Trupti Desai, at Supa village, about 70 km from the shrine, foiling their bid to offer worship at the “chauthara” (sacred platform), which is traditionally barred for women.
