Activist Trupti Desai barred from entering Shirdi till Dec 11

Pune, Dec 08: Social activist Trupti Desai has been barred from entering Maharashtra's temple town of Shirdi till December 11 after she threatened to remove boards put up by shrine officials asking devotees to dress in a 'civilised' manner, an official said on Tuesday.

Citing the law and order situation, sub-divisional magistrate (Shirdi area) Govind Shinde has issued a notice to Desai, asking her not to enter Shirdi, in adjoining Ahmednagar district, from December 8 midnight to December 11 midnight.

Issuing a warning to the Shirdi Sai Baba Temple Trust over its appeal to devotees to dress in a 'civilised' manner, Desai had earlier said if the boards carrying the contentious message were not removed, she and other activists would come to Shirdi and take them down themselves on December 10.

'In view of the law and order situation, Desai was issued the notice under section 144 of the CrPC on Tuesday.

She has been barred from entering into Shirdi municipal limits (till December 11),' Shinde told PTI.

Taking cognisance of complaints that some people come to the shrine in 'objectionable' clothes, the trust had put up boards outside the temple premises appealing to devotees to be dressed in a 'civilised' manner or as per 'Indian culture'.

A senior official from the trust, however, clarified they have not imposed any dress codeon devotees and the message was just an appeal.

'Despite our protest against these boards, the trust has not removed them. If the boards are not removed, we will come to Shirdi and taken them down ourselves on December 10,' Desai had said.

Last week, the social activist said she had written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, urging him to take action against the temple trust over the attire issue.