Pandit 'Purifies' Temple With Gangajal After Dalit Women Offer Prayers

A Hindu priest tried to stop Dalit women from entering a temple in the Mangalpur town of Kanpur on Monday, but after they managed to offer prayers with the help of some locals, he cleansed the premises with "Gangajal."

These women from the Balmiki community, who had come to perform marriage rituals, were denied entry into the inner sanctum of the temple, The Times of India reported today.

"The priest opposed our entry into the temple and used caste insults against us. When we questioned him, he threatened us," Munni Devi, the mother of the bride, told TOI.

The priest spent an hour washing the temple with Gangajal after the women left.

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