Jain community agitates for security of Sammed Shikharji

Lokmat News Network

Aurangabad

The Jain brethren on Wednesday agitated against the order of the union government to include the holy place of Jains in Jharkhand ‘Sammed Shikharji’ in the list of tourist places. A delegation of the Jain community submitted a memorandum to the additional divisional commissioner Babasaheb Boldar stating that the decision will destroy the piousness of the pilgrim centre and hence the order should be cancelled. The agitators demonstrated and shouted slogans of Shikhrji Bachao.

People gathered at divisional commissionerate at around 2 pm. Importantly, along with men many women also participated in the agitation. Later, a delegation led by Sakal Jain Samaj executive pesident Subhash Zambad submitted a memorandum to Boldar.

General secretary Mahavir Patni read the memorandum and the order issued by the union government. Zambad said that if Sammed Shikharji is not excluded from the list of tourist places, the Jain community will launch a severe agitation in the coming days.

Prashant Desarda, Mithalal Kankriya, Zumbarlal Pagariya, Lalit Patni, Anilkumar Sancheti, Sudhir Sahuji, Kaushik Surana, D B Kasliwal, Dr Prakash Zambad, Vilas Sahuji, Sanjay Sancheti, Madanlal Accha, Vinod Bokadia, Rishabh Kasliwal, Mukesh Sahuji, Nilesh Savalkar, Jivankumar Annadate, Tansukh Zambad, Chandmal Surana,Amol Mogale, Ravi Lodha, Anil Chordiya, Kavita Ajmera, Nita Thole, Seema Patni, Sarita Kasliwal, officials and members of Jain Mahila Sanghatana, Pulak Manch Parivar, and other organisation participated in large numbers.

The agitators said that Sammed Shikharji in Madhuban in Giridiah district in Jharkhand is a pilgrimage centre where the tombs of 20 Tirthankars and other saints are situated. The Jharkhand government sent a proposal to the union government that this place is a part of the forest area and hence the union government included this place in the list of tourist centres. It has endangered the piousness of this place.

The traders of Juna Mondha and Jadhavwadi kept their shops closed on Wednesday to press the demand. Around 100 shops were closed for the entire day in support of the agitation.

Jains agitate at Waluj

The Jain brethren staged demonstrations against the union government’s decision to include ‘Sammed Shikharji’ in Jharkhan in the list of tourist places at Waluj on Wednesday. They agitated by organising a silent march and many traders kept their shops closed.

The morcha started from Shri 1008 Sambhavnath Digambar Jain Temple in Bajajnagar and passed through Pandharpur, Waluj, Ranjangaon, Turkabad, Ambelohal and other places. The men and women members from the Sakal Jain Samaj actively participated in the silent march. The agitators then gave a memorandum of demands to Waluj police station ASI Rajendra Bangar.

Shri Vardhaman Shwetambar Stanakwasi Jain Shravak Sangh president Santosh Chordiya, secretary Chandrakant Chordiya, Waluj Shravak Sangh president Neeraj Sakla, secretary Manoj Saklecha, Shri 1008 SAmbhavnath Digambar Jain Temple president Rajendra Kala, secretary Sujit Godha, Shri 1008 Shantinath Digambar Jain Mandir president Rajendra Avtare, secretary Pawan Patil, Shri 1008 Chandraprabhu Digambar Jain Mandir, Ranjangaon president Keshrinath Dhongde, Manoj Kasliwal, Anil Chordiya, Dilip Dere, Mahavir Dhumale, Girish Duggad and others were present.