Pune (Maharashtra):: Trupti Desai, president of Bhumata Ranragini Brigade and the woman who has been at the forefront of the campaign to allow women into the sanctum sanctorums of temples, on Saturday threatened to go in for another protest in relation to the police not arresting priests and locals for attacking and stopping her from entering the famous Ambabai temple in Kolhapur.
“The Juna Rajwada police should be dismissed for not taking up their responsibility and the culprits should be arrested. 100 women will be there with us in this protest. Till the culprits are not arrested, we will protest,” Desai told ANI here.
“We entered the temple in Kolhapur, Amba Bai Temple on 13th April and there was an FIR related to the misbehavior and violence inflicted on us, in which only 7 are arrested whereas 30-40 culprits are not even charged. It was the responsibility of police that nothing wrong happens there,” she added.
Desai, who had successfully managed to enter the sanctum sanctorum of Shani Shingnapur, was beaten up in city-based Mahalaxmi Temple as she successfully managed to cross the first threshold of sanctum sanctorum.
After a heated argument between Desai, priests and local groups, Desai managed to enter the sanctum sanctorum along with a colleague. With her, some women constables also entered to protect her as a group of priests was staunchly opposing her. The women devotees who were present inside the temple also used a very abusive language along with men against Desai, when she was pressing her stand with the priests.
While the argument was going on along police inspector of Juna Rajwada police station, Desai climbed the threshold and went inside. The group of people consist of men and women irked with her act pushed the police staff aside and started hitting her.
Desai was injured and had to be hospitalised after being attacked by a group of protesters after entering the sanctum sanctorum of the Mahalaxmi temple in Kolhapur.
ANI