'Bhumata Brigade' chief Trupti Desai, opposing Saibaba temple’s appeal for 'civilised dress', detained on way to Shirdi

Pune: The Maharashtra police on Thursday detained social activist Trupti Desai and some other members of her outfit at Ahmednagar while they were going to Shirdi to remove boards put up outside the Saibaba temple asking devotees to dress in a "civilised" manner.

Desai had earlier warned that if the boards carrying the contentious message were not removed, she and other activists would go to Shirdi and take them down themselves on December 10.

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

However, defying the notice, Desai along with 20 other members of her outfit 'Bhumata Brigade' left from Pune on Thursday morning to go to Shirdi to remove the boards at the Saibaba temple there.

"We detained Desai along with 15 to 16 members of the outfit near Supa village on Pune-Ahmednagar highway under section 68 of the Bombay Police Act," Ahmednagar Superintendent of Police Manoj Patil said.

The Saibaba temple trust recently put up boards outside the temple premises, appealing to devotees to be dressed in a "civilised" manner or as per "Indian culture".

The trust officials said they had received complaints that some people come to the shrine in "objectionable" clothes. A senior official from the trust, however, had clarified they have not imposed any dress code on devotees and the message was just an appeal.