After Hindutva activist’s comments, Maharashtra journalists post photos of themselves without bindis

Two days after a right-wing leader in Mumbai refused to speak to a journalist because she wasn’t wearing a bindi, fellow journalists in the state have started posting photos of themselves – all without bindis – in solidarity.

The journalist, Rupali BB, works for Marathi news channel Saam TV. On Wednesday, she tried to ask Hindutva leader Sambhaji Bhide a question but he replied, “Every woman is an incarnation of Bharat Mata, and Bharat Mata is not a widow. Wear a bindi and then I will speak to you.”

Other journalists soon stood by Rupali. The tweets piled up thick and fast across newsrooms.

As for Bhide, the Maharashtra State Commission for Women sent him a notice on Thursday night, condemning his “belittling” statements.