Trupti Desai Enters Haji Ali Dargah, Offers Prayers

Trupti Desai entered the Haji Ali shrine in Mumbai on Thursday, escorted by police.

Trupti Desai praying at Haji Ali in Mumbai on Thursday, 12 May 2016. (Photo: PTI)

Trupti Desai entered the Haji Ali dargah in Mumbai on 12 May. Escorted by the police, Desai offered her prayers at the dargah and said:

Today (12 May) I entered Haji Ali Dargah. I went till the point where women were allowed to go and offered prayers.

Matters had worsened on 28 April when Desai had been detained by the police and was prevented from entering the Mumbai shrine.

Following the detention, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen’s (AIMIM) Haji Rafat Hussain had threatened to smear Desai’s face with black ink if she entered Haji Ali.

Trupti Desai leaving Haji Ali in Mumbai after praying there on Thursday, 12 May 2016. (Photo: PTI)

Trupti Desai’s Bhumata Brigade has been fighting for equal rights for women in places of worship since 2010. The Brigade drew attention to itself in April 2016 with Desai’s attempts of forcibly trying to enter temples where women were not allowed.

On 11 April, Desai also challenged the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for its patriarchal rules which forbid a woman from joining the 90-year-old organisation.

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