Jain Community Stir: A Row That Has Brought Owaisi, Mayawati, BJP on Same Page. But Why the Protest?

The declaration of Jharkhand?s Parasnath Hills as a tourist place through a 2019 notification has now turned into a major controversy with the Jain community claiming that several incidents have been reported that hurt religious sentiments as ?drinking alcohol and consuming non-vegetarian food? are banned for them. Besides this, there is also an uproar over Shetrunjay hill in Palitana of Gujarat in connection with the vandalising of a shrine and related security concerns.

?Ever since this decision was made, several people have started visiting the place and certain incidents have been reported in the recent past which hurt our religious sentiments. Drinking and eating non-vegetarian food are banned for us. Also, people have started trekking the hills with their shoes and slippers on. We want the authorities to leave the place isolated and honour our religious sentiment,? Ajay Jain, the convener of the protest in Jharkhand, was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

A Jain priest (72) who was on hunger strike for the past nine days to protest against Jharkhand?s proposal passed away in Jaipur on Tuesday. Jodhpur native Sugyeyasagar had started his fast at Jaipur?s Sanghiji temple after a march on December 25.

A report in Times of India quoted Acharya Sunil Sagar, a priest, as saying, ?Sammed Shikhar is our pride. Muni Sugyesagar Maharaj passed away at 6am. He has surrendered himself to our religion.?

Connection Between Jains and Parasnath Hills

Parasnath Hills in Jharkhand?s Giridih district, home to the highest peak in the state some 160 km from Ranchi, houses Sammed Shikharji — the biggest pilgrimage destination for people of Jainism faith, for both its sects, the Digambaras and the Svetambaras. It is believed that this is the place where 20 of the 24 Jain tirthankaras attained “moksha” or salvation after meditating.

The Jharkhand Issue

The Jharkhand government in February 2019 had notified the Parasnath area as a ‘tourist spot’, along with temples such as Baidhyanath Dham in Deoghar and Basukinath Dham in Dumka. In August of that year, the Union environment ministry declared the hill an eco-sensitive zone and added that the area had “tremendous potential to support thriving eco-tourism”.

On July 24, 2022, chief minister Hemant Soren unveiled the state’s tourism policy, which underlined developing Parasnath as a religious tourist centre along with other religious places including Baba Baidyanath Temple in Deoghar and Rajrappa Temple in Ramgarh district.

The Giridih district administration, despite the countrywide protests, said there had been no opposition in the past three years. Deputy Commissioner Naman Priyesh Lakra said that even at present, Jharkhand has seen no protests.

Brahmachari Tarun Bhaiyyaji, spokesperson of ‘Shikharji’, was quoted as saying by Indian Express that they came to know about the government notifications only recently. “Neither the Centre nor the state consulted the main stakeholder, the people from the Jain community, while declaring the hill an eco-sensitive zone and a tourist spot. We came to know about the notification more than three years later, in December, when someone read about it,” he added.

Jharkhand finance minister Rameshwar Oraon said that the “sentiments of Jain community members will be respected.” He added that the issue will be discussed again before coming to any decision regarding the holy site.

The Gujarat Issue?

Vandalism Incident: The controversy began in early December when the security manager of Sheth Anandji Kalyanji Pedhi (SAKP), an organisation of the Shwetambar section of Jainism, filed a police complaint that someone had vandalised the Adinath Dada’s Pagla on the intervening night of November 26-27.

The Adinath Dada’s Pagla is a marble carving representing the feet of Lord Adinath. The Pagla is housed in a small shrine in Rohishala village near the Shetrunjay hill, considered holy by the Jains.

The police later arrested a Rohishala resident and said that he had broken into the shrine with the intent to commit theft. However, when he found nothing valuable, he struck the Pagla with a stone in “frustration”, damaging the toes.

Shetrunjay Hill Isuue: While investigation into the vandalism case was underway, a dispute broke out between Swami Sharnananda, a local Hindu religious figure, and the SAKP over installing CCTV cameras on the premises of Neelkanth Mahadev Temple atop the Shetrunjay hill.

According to a report in Indian Express, Sharnananda claimed that the SKAP could not install CCTV cameras in a Hindu temple. On December 15, poles erected on the temple premises for the CCTV cameras were removed. The SAKP, which has been paying the salary of the Neelkanth Mahadev temple priest, then filed a police complaint.

The Jains are demanding that Shetrunjay hill and the area around it be protected so as to maintain its holiness. They also want further probe in the vandalism case.

Places Where Protests Took Place

Hundreds of members of the Jain community took out parallel rallies in Ahmedabad, Delhi, and Mumbai on Sunday.

Led by religious heads of the community, hundreds took part in the Ahmedabad rally and walked for 3 km, demanding action against illegal mining activities, liquor dens and encroachment of government land on the hills.

Similar protests were organised in Mumbai and Bhopal. ?We are protesting against the vandalisation of the temple in Palitana and Jharkhand government?s decision. The Gujarat government has taken action but we want strict action against them (who vandalised the temple). Today more than 5 lakh people are on the streets,? Maharashtra Minister MP Lodha was quoted as saying by India Today.

A delegation from the Jain community even handed over a letter to President Droupadi Murmu in New Delhi, expressing discontent over the two incidents. The community had congregated at the Pragati Maidan where it staged a mega protest before marching towards the Presidential palace.

Political Reactions

AIMIM supremo Asaduddin Owaisi has extended support to the protests by saying the Jharkhand government must rescind its decision. He met the community members on Tuesday.

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey said that Jain have equal rights, just as Hindus in this country. ?Shri Sammed Shikharji place is a pure and a spiritual place. It should not be a tourist place. The UPA government always hurts the feeling of people, and they don’t care about the religions. If they will not listen, then BJP will also protest against this,? he added.

On Wednesday, Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati also supported the Jain community and said that their protest is a matter of great sorrow and concern.

?In a secular country like India, now even the people of Jain faith have to agitate in different parts of the country for the safety and sanctity of their religious places and protest strongly on the streets, including India Gate. It is a matter of extreme sadness and concern,? she tweeted.

The Vishva Hindu Parishad has also extended its support to the Jain community and has said the VHP is determined to protect the sanctity of all pilgrimage sites in India. “The area should be declared a holy area and there should not be any tourist activity involving meat and drugs,” the VHP said in its statement.

Read all the Latest Explainers here