After Hindutva leader’s comments, female journalists post photos without bindis

A day after right-wing leader Sambhaji Bhide refused to speak to a female television news reporter for not putting on a ‘bindi’ on her forehead, several female journalists in Maharashtra posted photos of themselves without bindi, as a show of solidarity.

The incident, caught on camera, took place after he met Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde at Mantralaya (state secretariat) in south Mumbai, and promoted the state women’s commission to issue him a notice. The journalist is Rupali BB, who works for Marathi news channel Saam TV.

In a video, Bhide was heard telling the female reporter, who sought sound byte from him about his meeting with Shinde, that she should apply a ‘bindi’ (a decorative dot worn in the middle of the forehead by women) before coming to take his byte, and declined to speak to her.

He refused to speak to her and also told the journalist that a woman is like Bharat Mata and that she should not appear like a ‘widow’ by not sporting a bindi, PTI reported.

Here are some of the posts put up by journalists standing in solidarity with Rupali