Gujarat: Women, including Dalits, enter Botad temple after uproar over restriction

Gujarat's Women and Child Development Minister Vibavari Dave on Monday arranged for a group of women, including Dalits, to enter a Shiva temple in Aniyali village after uproar over restriction. The minister had taken the step after it was brought to her notice that Dalit women were not allowed to enter the temple in Botad district during the period of Jaya Parvati Vrat.

Talking about the issue, the only woman minister in the Gujarat government said: "I came to know about the incident and then called up the Botad collector. I made him rush to Aniyali village for Dalit girls were not being allowed to enter the temple on the final day of Vrat. The collector informed me that entry was banned for all women and not just Dalit girls."

She said she spoke to the villagers and convinced them to allow women to enter the temple and offer prayers. "I asked the collector to ensure entry for all women including those from the Dalit community. I was convinced only when they sent me a video of all the women performing puja at the Shiva temple. I also spoke to the women later," she added.

The incident came to the fore when some Dalit women were denied entry to the temple on Friday by upper-caste members. The women said that they were singled out because of their caste. After the incident, a police complaint was filed under the Atrocities Act against 11 people.

ABOUT THE INCIDENT

The incident came to the fore when some Dalit women were denied entry to the temple on Friday by upper-caste members. The women said that they were singled out because of their caste. A police complaint was filed under the Atrocities Act against 11 people

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