Activist Trupti Desai detained ahead of PM Modi’s visit to Shirdi

Desai, the chief of Bhumata Brigade, had written a letter to the Superintendent of Police, Ahmednagar, on Thursday demanding to meet the Prime Minister to discuss the Supreme Court's recent verdict on Sabarimala

Trupti Desai, a Pune-based activist, was detained by the police Friday morning ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Shirdi. Desai, the chief of Bhumata Brigade, had written a letter to the Superintendent of Police, Ahmednagar, on Thursday demanding to meet the Prime Minister to discuss the Supreme Court’s recent verdict on Sabarimala, reported news agency ANI. Desai had threatened to intercept the Prime Minister’s convoy if she wasn’t given permission.

Speaking to ANI, Desai said, “The police was already here this morning as we were about to leave for Shirdi. It is wrong. It is our Constitutional right to protest. We are being stopped at home only. It is an attempt to suppress our voice.” Follow LIVE UPDATES on the Sabarimala protests

Desai who had hailed the apex court’s verdict allowing women of all ages to enter Sabarimala, said she intended on visiting the temple in Kerala this season. She had sought police security after receiving death and rape threats for her decision. “Since I welcomed the Supreme Court verdict and announced my intention to visit Sabarimala, I have been getting threats to my life. The threats haven’t stopped. I fear for my security and have decided to seek police protection,” Desai had said earlier this month.

Also read | Activist seeks police security after death threats for hailing SC verdict on Sabarimala

The activist had earlier successfully led the agitation for the entry of women into the inner sanctum of Shani Shingnapur temple in Maharashtra in April 2016