Members of Bhumata Brigade smear board requesting ‘civilised dress code’ at Shirdi temple with black oil

Activists of the Bhumata Brigade on Thursday smeared a board – which urged visitors to follow a ‘civilised’ dress code — with black oil at the Sai Baba temple in Shirdi on Thursday. Three of them, including two women, were taken into custody by police.

Activist Trupti Desai, who heads the Bhumata Brigade, said, “We had requested the Shirdi Sai Sansthan several times to remove the board as it violates the fundamental rights of citizens as enshrined in the Constitution. Despite our final December 31 deadline, they refused to remove the board.”

Desai said she did not go to Shirdi, but members of the brigade had carried out the act. “They smeared black oil on the board around 5.30 pm. The police have taken them into custody,” she said.