International

Women activists stopped from entering temple in India

Published

8 years ago

April 3, 2016

Women activists stopped from entering temple in India

Despite a no gender discrimination ruling by a Mumbai court angry villagers blocked a group of women activists from entering the Shani Shignapur temple in western India.

On Friday, a high court in Mumbai ruled that women had a fundamental right to enter and pray inside temples across Maharashtra state.

The court also ordered the state government to ensure that the women were not prevented from entering temples.

In a bid to celebrate the court ruling while also calling it a victory for their campaign, 25 activists from the Bhumata Ranragini (Women Warriors of Mother Earth) Brigade attempted on Saturday to enter the Shani Shignapur temple, but they were stopped by angry villagers from offering prayers in the temple’s inner sanctum.

“The ruling should have been implemented by the administration. We will file a police complaint against the chief minister and the home minister,” Bhumata Ranragini Brigade chief Trupti Desai told reporters.

The court later heard a petition challenging such bans in certain temples in Maharashtra, enforced by caretakers who say they are part of traditions that go back centuries.

“Our age-old tradition cannot be violated. Our village has decided that women cannot be allowed into the inner sanctum,” a villager told news channels.

RipplesNigeria …without borders, without fears

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now