On January 26, at least 400 women volunteers made an unsuccessful attempt to storm the 'chauthara' (sacred platform) of the Shani temple.
Leader of a womens' organisation that led a high-voltage stir against gender bias at Shani Shingnapur temple in Ahmednagar, and the shrine authorities have been called tomorrow by the district authorities to discuss the centuries-old ban on female devotees entering the sacred platform.
"We have received a letter from Ahmednagar District Collectorate in which they have asked us to be present on February 6 for discussions over the issue of allowing women inside the Lord Shani temple," Bhumata Brigade leader Trupti Desai said today.
The temple authorities too have been called for deliberations tomorrow after the womens' group
brought their fight to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for lifting of the ban and submitted a memorandum of demands last week seeking his support to end gender bias and unrestricted entry to women at the temple and all other sacred places in the state.
"We too have been called for discussions tomorrow," said Dayaram Bankar, one of the trustees.
On January 26, at least 400 women volunteers, mainly hailing from Pune, led by Ms Desai made an
unsuccessful attempt to storm the 'chauthara' (sacred platform) of the temple when police stopped the marchers at Supa village, 70 kms from the shrine.
The marchers were detained there for a few hours before being released and sent back to Pune on buses. The women protested against the police action and raised slogans. They had even laid down on the road, crying "it is a black day for women on Republic Day".
As a showdown erupted, Mr Fadnavis had favoured a dialogue between temple authorities and activists to find a way out over the ban on entry of women into the inner sanctum of the shrine, maintaining that women have a right to pray.
"Indian culture and Hindu religion gives women the right to pray. A change in yesterday's traditions is our culture. Discrimination in praying is not in our culture. The temple authorities should resolve the issue through dialogue,"
Mr Fadnavis had tweeted.Minister of State for Home, Ram Shinde too had said the government will facilitate talks between the temple authorities and women activists to arrive at an amicable solution.