Photo: Mediavigil
Agencies /JAIPUR
Two women from Maharashtra on Monday sprayed black paint on the statue of Manu in the premises of Rajasthan High Court. The incident has created uproar in the society as one section has expressed resentment over the incident; on the other hand the marginalized section of the society is jubilant over the disrespect to the Hindu saint.
The two Dalit women were booked for harming the public property and hurting religious sentiments. Both the women have been identified as Kanta Rameh Ahir and Shwwla Bai Panwar of Aurangabad in Maharashtra
“Both the women, Sheelabai and Kanta Ramesh Ayare, have said that they oppose Manu’s philosophy and sprayed ink on the statue as a sign of protest,” said Station House Officer Madan Beniwal of the Ashok Nagar police station.
The incident has brought into light the demand for the removal of the ‘Manusmriti’ along with the Manu statue. Dalits have been opposing the construction of the statue since its inception 28 years ago. At that time, the court had given the order to take the statue down, but VHP leader Acharya Dharmendra had got a stay on the order.
Even at that time of its inception, there was opposition from certain elements of the society. Manu is considered important for Hindus and is also seen as the father of the human race.
“It is not acceptable that the people come in the high court premises and resort to such actions. It raises serious questions on the security of such an important institution,” said a lawyer
Dalit activist Bharat Meghwanshi said the Manu ideology is against women and the people of lower castes. “Till the time these scriptures exist, there can be no equality in society. There is an urgent need to remove them and that is why a mass movement is needed to support our cause.”