Nashik: The Shri Shaneshwar Devasthan Trust, which manages the famed Shani Shingnapur temple in Maharashtra’s Ahilyanagar, has dismissed 167 employees citing “disciplinary grounds,” with a staggering 114 of them — over two-thirds — being Muslims, reported the Times of India.
The mass termination, executed in two rounds on June 8 and June 13, followed rising pressure from Hindutva outfits. The Sakal Hindu Samaj had announced plans to protest on June 14 demanding the removal of non-Hindu staff from the temple, after a video in May allegedly showed a non-Hindu man engaged in painting work within the shrine premises.
While the temple trust officially attributed the firings to “non-performance and long absenteeism,” no specific reasons were shared with the media or the dismissed employees. The affected staff had reportedly served for periods ranging from 2 to 10 years.
Responding to growing criticism, Devasthan CEO Gorakshanath Darandale denied any communal intent behind the move. “There is no question of discrimination. Disciplinary action has been taken against staff from various backgrounds. Many employees were irregular and did not report to work. We had withheld their salaries and issued show-cause notices,” he said.
A senior official clarified that the sacked staff were primarily associated with the trust’s agriculture, waste management, and education departments, adding that some had been absent for as long as five months.
The dismissals have sparked outrage among civil rights groups, who view the timing and scale of the action as being influenced by sectarian pressure rather than genuine administrative concerns.
