Activist Trupti Desai stopped from going to Shirdi

Activist Trupti Desai and over a dozen members of her organization were detained in Ahmednagar in Maharashtra on Thursday while they were on the way to Shirdi to protest against the boards put up outside the famous Saibaba temple asking devotees to dress properly.

Desai stated later that if the boards were not removed by December 31, they will again head for the temple town.

The activist had been barred from entering Shirdi in Ahmednagar district till December 11 after she announced the protest.

Desai and 15 to 16 members of her outfit Bhumata Brigade were taken into custody by the Ahmednagar police near Supa village when they were on their way to Shirdi to remove boards put up outside the Saibaba temple asking devotees to dress in a "civilized" manner.

"We released all the activists on Thursday evening and escorted them back upto the Pune district border," said Ahmednagar Superintendent of Police Manoj Patil.

On Tuesday, sub-divisional magistrate (Shirdi area) Govind Shinde, citing the law and order situation, had issued a notice to Desai, asking her not to enter Shirdi from December 8 midnight to December 11 midnight.

Trust officials had said the boards were put up after they received complaints that some people come to the popular shrine in "objectionable" clothes. It was only an appeal and not the imposition of a dress code, they said.

Speaking to PTI, Desai said she was told there might be a threat to her and her associates' lives if they proceeded to Shirdi.

"We urge the temple trust to remove the boards by December 31. If the boards are not removed, we will once again go to Shirdi," she said.