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The trust that manages the Shani Shingnapur shrine in Maharashtra’s Ahilyanagar district has , including 114 Muslim workers, allegedly on disciplinary grounds, The Indian Express reported.

The Shri Shaneshwar Devasthan Trust cited reasons such as prolonged “absenteeism, misconduct and other similar violations” to terminate the 167 employees, the newspaper reported.

This move comes amid protests by Hindutva groups against the trust’s hiring of Muslim employees.

In May, a after a video, purportedly showing Muslim employees doing maintenance work inside the temple, was circulated on social media, the Hindustan Times reported.

On May 21, Hindutva groups staged a protest over this alleged video, demanding the termination of employment of Muslim workers from the temple, the newspaper reported.

The Hindutva groups along with Nationalist Congress Party MLA Sangram Jagtap had announced to hold a “Hindu Dharma Protection March” on Saturday over the row.

“Shani Shingnapur Devasthan is a temple of the Hindu faith,” the newspaper quoted Jagtap as having said. “A total of 118 Muslim employees have been recruited at this temple. This is not appropriate.”

On Friday, members of the Shri Shaneshwar Devasthan Trust held a meeting where they decided to dismiss all employees flagged for irregular attendance since January, The Indian Express reported.

In a meeting held on June 8, the trust had identified 99 employees. A...