“Before I could offer Billipatra to Lord Shiva, the priest asked me my caste. As soon as I replied that I am a Vankar (Dalit), he asked me to get out using derogatory language,” said 66-year-old Gordhan Jadhav, a retired state government officer, on Wednesday. He and his wife — a respected couple of the locality — felt “utterly humiliated” by the incident.

After Jadhav was thrown out of the Bhavnath Temple near Sanand Civil Hospital on Monday, he went to the Sanand police station to lodge a complaint on Wednesday. But, no FIR was filed and Jadhav, a former class two officer, had to file an application, requesting to file a complaint under SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. “I have been told that they will conduct a preliminary investigation and then file the FIR. I will wait,” said Jadhav, adding that many people living in Sanand visit the Bhavnath Temple and no one is denied entry, barring Dalits.

Being the month of Shraavan, Jadhav and his wife went to the temple to pray. “As women are not allowed inside the temple, my wife stayed out while I went inside to offer Billipatra,” he said, adding: “Then the priest asked me about my caste and told me to get out. Apparently, some person, who knows me, was present in the temple and he informed the priest about my caste.”

The police had avoided accepting the FIR. Talking to dna, deputy superintendent of police, Ahmedabad Rural, Nirlipt Rai, confirmed that an application had been received by his office.

“Prima facie, the temple seems to be a private property and entry is restricted. However, we will thoroughly investigate the matter and if there is any substance in the allegation, we will definitely file the FIR,” said Rai.

The temple administration had a different opinion to offer though. Talking to dna, the in-charge administrator of Bhavnath Temple, Hitendrasinh Vaghela, said: “The temple is managed by my family since long. It was built by the then king of Sanand and no other person than members of the Kshatriya clan are allowed into the temple as it is a private property.” Then, denying the incident of Jadhav’s humiliation, he said the SC/ST Act was being misused by him and his supporters.

When this correspondent visited the temple, it was found that the temple is located in the middle of a residential locality and there was no system of checking visitors.

Jadhav and his wife Dhangauri are residents of Navdurga Society in Sanand town. He had retired as clerk from the National Textile Corporation while his wife had retired as principal of a school on the Sanand-Bavla Road.