Tired of having their pleas for rights being ignored by the Maharashtra government, a group of devdasis on Sunday shed their clothes to lodge their protest, reports Mail Today.
The women held the demonstration at Azad Maidan in front of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to draw attention to their long- standing demands that include a ` 2,000- pension and Below Poverty Line ration cards.
The eight women, who belonged to the Maharashtra Niradhar and Devdasi Sanghatana, were arrested soon after.
“ We were forced to do it as the state government has not bothered to fulfil our basic demands,” Sanghatana president Asha Pawar said.
She said her organisation had tried every other option such as roadblocks, rail roko , gherao of ministers and even tonsuring their heads on Women's Day, with no response.
In a similar form of protest, a group of Manipuri women protested in the nude in 2004 against the atrocities committed by the Indian military forces under the draconian Armed Forces ( Special Powers) Act. The dozen mothers held the demonstration in front of the former Manipuri royal palace which was at that time being occupied by the army. The Act is still in force in the north- eastern state.
