Jain community in Pune protests against Mumbai temple's demolition by civic body
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) demolished the Digambar Jain Temple at Vile Parle in Mumbai's western suburbs on April 16.
On Tuesday, the Sakal Jain Sangh staged a two-hour protest against the demolition in Pune, raising slogans against the administration and the BMC. A large number of students, women, and youth from the Jain community participated in the protest.
'When places of faith are attacked, it deeply hurts the sentiments of people. Demolishing a temple is not just a religious matter; it is an insult to human emotions. We will fight this battle peacefully but firmly,' Achal Jain, a protester, said.
Milind Phade echoed similar emotions. 'Through this protest, the Jain community has sent a clear message to the authorities that the insult of religious places will not be tolerated. When a community that walks the path of peace and non-violence steps onto the streets, it reflects deep pain and outrage,' Phade said.
Former corporator Abhay Chhajed highlighted how the issue was not limited to Mumbai. 'The Jain community is peace-loving. For us to come onto the streets is a rare occurrence. But today's protest was planned because this issue is not limited to Mumbai alone. Such incidents have taken place in Palitana (Gujarat), Shikharji, and a few other temples as well. I have served as a corporator for 25 years, and I know how the administration functions. This matter is extremely serious and must be addressed with due seriousness,' he said.
Advocate Yogesh Pande said the 'brutality' with which the temple was bulldozed had deeply hurt the community. 'The statue of our Tirthankara was shattered into pieces, which to us is unacceptable. This is a very serious situation and begs the question of how the BMC authorities were allowed to act in such a disrespectful way. People were still offering prayers inside the temple when the demolition started. How can this be tolerated? This is a clear abuse of power,' he said.
The protestors demanded that the government take the issue seriously and take strict action against those responsible. A memorandum listing these demands of the community was submitted to Resident Deputy Collector Jyoti Kadam.
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