A scuffle was witnessed yesterday at the Trimbakeshwar temple, when the women activists were denied from entering into the inner sanctum of the temple in Nashik.

Activists of the Pune-based Swarajya Sanghatana were denied entry into the temple, following which led to controversy and the issue landed into the police station, after the women complained that, they were beaten up by the temple authorities and the locals.

The temple officials said, they would allow women into gabhara (the inner sanctum) for an hour everyday, that too when they are in wet cotton or silk attire.

Responding to these conditions, the activists said these are created just to prevent the women permanently from entering into the inner sanctum.

6am to 7am is the time slotted for the worship and when the activists tried to enter the temple at 6am, authorities and locals allegedly stopped them, saying that, the time for the worship has ended.

It was then the women turned furious and declared war on the authorities and locals, and were beaten up by the latter. The angry activists complained about the issue to the police, and the case was filed on about 200 locals, including Anagha Phadke, former president of the Trimbakeshwar Municipal Council.

“I was standing along with my fellow activists in the queue since 5 a.m. We strictly followed the dress code, yet some priests and women devotees deliberately obstructed us from entering the sanctum,” said Vanita Gutte, president of the Swarajya Sanghatana.

“Two hundred people, including the former municipal president of Trimbakeshwar, have been booked under Sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 341 (wrongful restraint), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code,” said H.P. Kolhe, inspector of the Trimbakeshwar police station.

The police would go through the CCTV footage and take action, he said.

By Phani Ch