The temple and police authorities have beefed up security in and around the Shani Shingnapur temple in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra, following a threat from the Bhumata Ranragini Brigade that its 1,000-odd women activists would storm the temple’s open sanctum sanctorum and offer prayers to the presiding deity on Tuesday.
A high drama is on cards on the temple premises on the Republic Day, with the Bhumata Ranragini Brigade threatening to airdrop its women activists from an helicopter in the event of their being prevented from entering the temple premises through the normal route.
“We have already booked a helicopter. If we are prevented from entering the temple from the normal route, we will drop ladders and climb down onto the temple premises. We will go ahead with our irrespective of the security arrangements that the authorities will make to prevent us from entering the temple,” Bhumata Ranragini Brigade president Trupti Desai said.
It may be recalled that on November 28, a still-to-be identified woman from Pune had broken a five-century-old taboo, climbed up to “chauthara” (a platform) housing the idol of lord Shani.
The act of her performing puja had been captured on the CCTV of the temple the following morning. Irked by the incident, the temple management sacked seven security personnel and “purified” the idol by performing an “abhisheka” with milk on the following day.
Desai, who has taken up cudgels against the temple authorities against the gender discrimination, said that that her organisation had specially chosen Republic day to protest. “It is injustice to women that they are not being allowed to enter the temple on the basis of gender bias. This is a fight for the self-respect of women,” she said.
Meanwhile, the temple authorities – together with the local police – have made elaborate security arrangement in and around temple. Multi-layered barricades have been around the open sanctum sanctorum located inside the temple.
The temple village of Shani Shinganapur, where temple is located, has over the years famous for being the only village in the country, where houses have no doors.
On an average, 10,000 to 40,000 people visit the Shani temple every day. The pilgrims climb up to open-air “chauthara” and offer prayers to lord Shani — a five-and-a-half-feet high black rock with a “trishul” (trident) placed alongside and a Nandi (bull) installed on the southern side of the quadrangle symbolising the presiding deity.
In two related developments, the Charity Commissioner’s office has restrained the entry of women, while the Ahmednagar district administration has banned the assembly of people in that area.
“We apprehend that there might be untoward happenings. Though Constitution gives right to everyone to protest, we have also to ensure that the sentiments of others are not. That’s why we have restrained women from entering the temple,” Joint Charity Commissioner Shivkumar Dighe said.
Similarly, Ahmednagar District Collector Anil Kawade has banned the assembly of five or more people till February 4. Security has been beefed up in around the temple, while multi-layered barricading has been erected around the open-air sanctum sanctorum located inside the temple.
The protest action by Bhumata Ranragini Brigade comes a fortnight after the temple management created history of sorts by electing unanimously Anita Chandrahas Shetye as the first-ever woman chairperson of the temple trust.
After her election as the chairperson of the temple trust on January 11, Anita Shetye had announced that she would continue enforce the five-century-old tradition of barring women from climbing up to “chauthara” housing the presiding deity to offer prayers.
Meanwhile, right-wing outfits like Sanatan Sanstha, Hindu Janjagruti Samiti (HJS) and its women’s wing have thrown their weight behind the temple management. They are mobilising around 2,000 women to form a “human barricade” to prevent the protesting women from entering the temple premises on Tuesday.