AIMIM leader Waris Pathan on Saturday questioned the dismissal of 114 Muslim workers from the Shani Shingnapur temple in Maharashtra, calling it a form of “social boycott” and accused the shrine trust of targeting people based on religion.
“It is very disappointing that on one hand, we talk about 'sabka saath, sabka vikas', Viksit Bharat, economy, on the other hand, jobs are being decided on the basis of religion, caste. They threw out people as they were Muslims, they removed 114 persons from the job. The government should think, where are we going? This is like a social boycott. It is unconstitutional, the Maharashtra government should take cognisance. It is wrong, not good for the country,” he said, urging the Maharashtra government to take immediate cognisance of the matter.
On June 8 and 13, the Shri Shaneshwar Devasthan trust terminated the services of 167 staffers citing "disciplinary grounds". Of those dismissed, 114 — about 68 per cent — are Muslims, a temple source confirmed to the Times of India.
The dismissal of over a hundred Muslim workers from the Shaneshwar Devasthan shrine in Maharashtra’s Ahilyanagar took place after a video surfaced in May, reportedly showing a man not belonging to the Hindu faith involved in painting work inside the temple premises.
Following the video, the Sakal Hindu Samaj, a local group, threatened a protest on June 14 demanding the removal of non-Hindu workers from the shrine.
While the trust has denied any religious bias, the numbers have drawn criticism from political quarters.
The Devasthan has maintained that the action was administrative and not communal.
“There is no question of discrimination in the action. Those removed are from different faiths. The action was strictly disciplinary in nature. Over 2,400 employees work with Devasthan. Many do not report to work. Devasthan had held back their salaries and served show-cause notices. This is the first batch against whom action has been taken,” said CEO Gorakshanath Darandale.
Another senior official from the temple trust said the dismissed staffers were employed in departments like agriculture, waste management, and education. “Some have been absent from work for five months,” the official said.