Gender rights activist and Bhumata Brigade leader Trupti Desai has demanded a police case be lodged against Marathi kirtankar (preacher) Nivrutti Maharaj Indurikar, even as the latter apologised on Tuesday for his controversial remarks.

Ms. Desai submitted a proposal to Ahmednagar District Superintendent of Police Sagar Patil, urging that the case be lodged within four days’ time.

She warned that if a case was not lodged or if Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and the Maha Vikas Aghadi government tried to support Mr. Indurikar, then she and her fellow activists would be “compelled to lock Mr. Thackeray inside his cabin” at the start of the next session of the legislature.

“I have submitted a proposal demanding an FIR be lodged against Indurikar as his remarks violated the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act as well as the anti-superstition law,” Ms. Desai said.

Mr. Indurikar, who is known for addressing social issues through his sermons by deploying witty though hard-edged satire, drew the ire of rationalists and activists when he allegedly said during a sermon in Ahmednagar district that a couple having intercourse on an even date would beget a male child, and on an odd date a girl.

“I regret if my remarks have hurt anyone’s feelings. That was never my intention. Through my sermons for the past 26 years, I have always laid great stress on rooting out blind faith and working towards social enlightenment,” Mr. Indurikar said in a handwritten note on his letterhead. The preacher, who has a massive following, said his remarks were taken out of context.

A follower of the kirtankar from Ahmednagar, Smita Ashtekar, allegedly threatened Ms. Desai on social media if the latter dared to enter the district, while other supporters protested Ms. Desai’s entry into the district by waving black flags at her.

However, Ms. Desai remained unperturbed, vowing not to rest until a police case was lodged against the preacher. “He [Indurikar] has been known to make derogatory remarks against women in his sermons. I have already spoken regarding this with Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, who has assured me that an inquiry would be conducted in this case … People should know that the Home Department is on the side of the women of this State and not of some preacher who makes offensive remarks against them,” Ms. Desai said.

Earlier, the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (MANS), too, had demanded a police case against the preacher on the grounds that his comments violated the PCPNDT Act.

Minister of State for Women and Child Welfare Bacchu Kadu had earlier said the government would not file a case against Mr. Indurikar as he was working towards enlightening people.

State Bharatiya Janata Party president Chandrakant Patil, who, though stating that Mr. Indurikar should not have made such controversial comments, said the party backed him.