'Bharat Mata not widow': Activist refuses to speak to journalist who was not wearing bindi. Watch

Every woman is like Bharat Mata and Bharat Mata is not widow, activist Sambhaji Bhide said on camera as he refused to speak to a journalist of SaamTV News as she was not wearing a 'bindi'.

Maharashtra activist Sambhaji Bhide, a right-wing leader, has been served a notice by the state women's commission after he refused to give an interview to a journalist who was not wearing a bindi on her forehead. The incident was caught on camera and the clip of the television channel went viral. "Every woman is like Bharat Mata and Bharat Mata is not widow," Sambhaji Bhide said to the woman adding that she should not appear like a 'widow' and should apply a 'bindi' before coming to take his byte.

Screenshot from the video of SaamTV news of the incident of Sambhaji Bhide refusing the channel's journalist to give a 'byte'.

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The incident took place after Shambhaji Bhide met chief minister Eknath Shinde. As he was exiting, he was stopped by the woman journalist of Saam TV News.

The journalist shared the incident from her Twitter handle and said it is her personal choice whether to wear bindi or not. "We respect people seeing their age. But people should also be qualified for the respect. It is my personal choice whether to wear a bindi or not. This is a democracy," the journalist tweeted.

State Women's Commission chairperson Rupali Chakankar condemned the statement and said the comment of the activist is demeaning for a woman's pride and social stature. "A woman is known by the quality of her work," Sonali Chakankar said adding that the commission took note of the incident as the video was drawing flak. “Under Section 12(2) and 12(3) of the State Women’s Commission Act, 1993, you are hereby asked to explain your position of not speaking with a woman journalist because she was not wearing a bindi,” the notice said.