Desai said that she is hopeful of a positive outcome. "We believe that women will soon be allowed inside the temple," she said.
Trupti Desai from the Bhumata Brigade which has been demanding entry inside the Shani Shingnapur temple has said that her group and the district administration have agreed to abide by Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis' decision on the matter. "We'll be meeting Maharashtra CM on Monday or Tuesday and ask him to take a decision soon. Whatever he decides, we will go with it, other parties on the issue have also agreed to it," she added.
Desai said that she is hopeful of a positive outcome. "It was a positive interaction. We believe that women will soon be allowed inside the temple," she said.
In a bid to end the deadlock over allowing women to enter the Shani Shingnapur temple in Maharashtra, the District Administration of Ahmednagar called for a meeting on Saturday between protestors and the temple management. The Ahmednagar District Collectorate has reportedly written a letter to Bhumata Brigade, inviting them to discuss the centuries-old ban on female devotees entering the sacred platform, with the shrine authorities.
Bhumata Brigade's Trupti Desai, who is leading the protests, had said that temple authorities are dominating in the name of old traditions. "Temple authorities are dominating in name of old traditions but there is no such tradition that keeps women out of the temple," said Desai.
Women members and supporters of the Bhumata Brigade arrived from Pune on January 29 in six buses with an aim to enter the temple's sanctum sanctorum where the idol of Lord Shani is placed on an open-air platform. However, the group led by Trupti was stopped from marching towards the temple by police near Supa. They were also detained by police for some time, but released later. After being stopped by the police, Trupti said it was a "black day" for women as they were being stopped from exercising their rights.
The temple drew attention in November 2015 after a woman had offered prayers at the popular shrine in "breach" of the age-old practice that prohibits entry of women, after which the temple committee had to suspend seven security men and the villagers performed purification rituals. The temple attracts millions of tourists and devotees from across the country and abroad.
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