Women activists seek Maharashtra CM’s aid

The women’s outfit spearheading the campaign against a centuries-old ban on female devotees entering the sacred platform at Shani Shingnapur temple in Maharashtra today brought their fight to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for lifting of the restrictions. 

A day after police foiled the attempt by 400 women activists to barge into the famous temple in Ahmednagar district as part of their high-voltage stir, Bhoomata Brigade leader Trupti Desai met Fadnavis here and presented a memorandum of demands seeking his support to end gender bias and unrestricted entry to women at the temple and all other sacred places in the state. 

The meeting with Fadnavis took place on the sidelines of a function here even as the Gram Sabha at the village where the shrine is located passed a resolution condemning Desai and her volunteers for attempts to storm the 'Chauthara' (sacred platform). The plan was foiled when police stopped the marchers at Supa village, 70 km away from the shrine.