Despite prohibitory orders to gather around the Shani Shingnapur temple in Ahmednagar district, and resistance from local villagers, the Pune-based Bhumata Ranragini Brigade called on women across the state to converge at the temple on Tuesday afternoon.
Trupti Desai, who is leading the agitation told the media. "This is a black day,"
More than 500 women left Pune for the Shani temple in buses today morning, but they were stopped by the police several kilometers before they could reach the site. In the midst of a scuffle between the Brigade and the authorities, several women lay down on the road in protest.
Trupti Desai, who is leading the agitation told the media. "This is a black day,"
More than 500 women left Pune for the Shani temple in buses today morning, but they were stopped by the police several kilometers before they could reach the site. In the midst of a scuffle between the Brigade and the authorities, several women lay down on the road in protest.
Women versus Women
In a move to counter criticism about gender bias, the Shani Shingnapur Temple Trust recently appointed its first woman president. Instead of breaking with tradition, the new president, Anita Shete, has said that she intends to maintain the ban on women from entering the area where the idol of Lord Shani is kept in the temple.
While Shete has argued that men are also prohibited from entering the shrine, observers have pointed out that no ban on male devotees exists in principle, but the exclusion of women is absolute.
Besides the temple authorities, women from local villages as well as Hindutva outfits are among the strongest objectors to the entry of the women in the shrine's sanctum sanctorum.
source : Internet.
source : Internet.
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