Trupti Desai enters Haji Ali Dargah in Mumbai, warns of protest if restrictions on women not lifted

Trupti Desai has successfully broken age-old traditions of banning entry of women at Shani Shingnapur and Trimbakeshwar temples.

Pic Courtesy: ANI

Mumbai: After leading a successful campaign seeking entry of women in Shani Shingnapur Temple in Ahmednagar and Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple in Nashik, Bhumata Brigade president Trupti Desai on Thursday entered the iconic Haji Ali Dargah in Mumbai amid high security.

Desai visited the Dargah early morning, but didn't enter the inner sanctum where women are not allowed.

Speaking to news agency ANI, the Bhumata Brigade president said, “I went till the point where women were allowed to go and offered prayers.”

“At the dargah I prayed that women must be allowed to enter inner sanctum like they did before 2011,” she added.

She warned of launching a protest if the trustees don't allow women to enter the inner sanctum within 15 days.

Watch video:

#WATCH Trupti Desai & Bhumata Brigade members entering Haji Ali Dargah (Mumbai) today morning.https://t.co/o0nWIEgR22

— ANI (@ANI_news) May 12, 2016

Earlier in April, Desai had tried to enter Haji Ali Dargah, but was stopped at main entrance.

The decision to enter Dargah was taken after several Muslim women and activists demanded that gender discrimination be abolished at places of worship.

Desai joined with a new forum, "Haji Ali Sab Ke Liye - Haji Ali For All" in April.

More than 20 outfits, NGOs and human right activists on Wednesday announced formation of 'Haji Ali Sabke Liye' to peacefully campaign against the ban on entry of women into the interiors of the 15th century Sufi shrine, located on a small islet in the Arabian Sea and visited by hundreds of people everyday.

Desai has maintained fighting for women's right was part of her mission and she would proactively take part in this movement too.

The forum is planning to launch a similar movement to demand entry into other religious places where such a ban is in place.