Silent protest in Jhumari Tiliya over attack on Jain Monk

Daily Pioneer, Ranchi
8th January 2013

 Women, girls and men in large numbers took out a silent procession in Jhumari Tiliya on Monday to register protest against the attack on a jain muni, Prabal Sagarji Maharaj in Juna Gargh in Gujrat on the first day of this year.

Organised by Jain community, the procession started from Jain Mandir situated near docter gali of Jhumari Tilaiya and went up to Purnima talkies, backed to Jain Mandir.

The protesters held boards and placards. All small and big shops remained shut till 1 pm. The procession  was morally supported by peoples from different walk of life.

President of Jain Samaj Manik Chhand Shetty, Sect Sushil Chabara Jay Kumar Gangawal,Vimal Suraj Pawdilal Lalit Suri, district president of Marwari Youth Manch Himanshu Kedia secretary Sanjay Sharma Rajesh Jain,ward Parshad Pinki Jain Rotary District president Jay kumar Gangwal, president of Rotary Kupulse Jhumari Tilaiaya Ritesh Duggar were in also with the procession.

A group of office bearerswent to DC office and submitted a memorandum to Koderma DC Rajesh kumar Sharma in this regard.

Jain Protest March in Allahabad

ALLAHABAD: Protesting against the recent attack on a Jain saint in Junagadh district of Gujarat, members of Jain community took out a silent procession here on Wednesday to condemn the incident.

Holding placards and banners demanding punishment for the guilty persons, the protesters, including men, women and children, said the attack on saints amounts to insult of Indian culture and doctrine of Ahimsa.

The procession started from Zero Road Jain temple and after passing through Johnstangunj, Chowk, Leader Road and other parts of old city culminated at Subhash crossing in Civil Lines where a meeting was also held.

General secretary, Jain Samaj Prayag, Anoop Chandra Jain said Jainism preaches the doctrine of ahimsa in life and its followers are simple, austere and peace loving. They are guided by the principle of 'Live and let live'. The character and lifestyle of Jain saints who are involved relentlessly in hard penance is entirely different from others in society. In such a case, any attack on such person/persons is condemnable and government should punish the guilty severely.

Another speaker Rajesh Kumar Jain said the attack on Jain saints is an attack on Indian culture and Indian culture is identified by the presence of saints in such large numbers.

Hazaribagh Jains Protest against Attacks on Jain Monks

The people of Hazaribagh came on streets on Tuesday to protest against the series of attacks on Jain Munis in different parts of the country. After Maharastra and Rajasthan on 1st of January some unidentified criminals attacked on Muni Prabaal Sagar at Girinath Sthan, Gujarat. The criminals wounded him badly by using knife. Similar incidents had already taken place in Maharastra last month. 

 To protest these incidents people of all religion assembled at Bara Bazar Jain Mandir premises under the banner of ‘Sarva Dharma Qaumi Ekta Samiti’. From here they started their march and traveled almost entire town without telling or shouting anything. This was a silent rally of the denizens of Hazaribagh through which they registered their protest.

 At the end of the rally a memorandum to President of India was handed over to the SDO. In this memorandum demand of strong action against the culprits has been made. A large number of women from every religion of society took part in this silent protest march. It was led by leaders of every religions and political parties.

Justice Jain appointed Chairman of Law Commission

New Delhi, Jan 7, 2013, DHNS:

 

Supreme Court judge Justice D K Jain has been appointed as the chairman of the 20th Law Commission of India. Justice Jain is set to retire as the apex court judge on January 24, 2013. The 20th Law Commission was constituted through a government order with effect from September 1, last. Its three-year term would end on August 31, 2015. 

The terms of reference of the 20th Law Commission would include reviewing obsolete laws and identifying those legislations laws, no longer needed or relevant.

The Commission would also identify laws not in harmony with the existing climate of economic liberalisation or required changes or amendments and suggest suitable measures for quick redressal of citizens grievances.

 Besides, it would examine the existing laws with a view for promoting gender equality and would also look into the laws which affected the poor and carry out post-audit for socio-economic legislations.

CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan Saddened by Attack on Jain Monk

Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has appealed to his Gujarat counterpart Narendra Modi to initiate stringent action against those responsible for allegedly attacking a Jain seer at Girnar.

"The entire state, including me, is anguished over the incident involving Jain Muni Prabal Sagar at Girnar town in Gujarat", Chouhan said in a letter to Modi.

The seer was allegedly attacked by some unidentified persons last week reportedly with sharp weapons.

"I appeal to you to take prompt action as per the feelings of followers of Jainism and Munishri against the accused persons", he said.

PTI

Truck driver who ‘ran over’ two Jain monks arrested

Indian Express Ahmedabad
10th January 2013

Bharuch police on Wednesday arrested the driver of the truck who allegedly ran over two Jain monks on National Highway 8 near Bharuch on January 1.

“We have arrested one person identified as Ashwin Nayka. Based on his identity established by CCTV footage, we picked up Nayaka from Padra in Vadodara and arrested him later,” Bharuch District Superintendent of Police (DSP) Gautam Parmar told The Indian Express.

The DSP said Nayaka is a resident of Kamrej taluka of Surat district and works with a brick kiln. “He was on his way to Vadodara when the accident took place. He has confessed that while attempting to overtake two vehicles from the wrong side, he could not see the monks due to fog and ran them over,” said Parmar.
Police said they had analysed CCTV footages of Karjan toll plaza and kept a watch on Nayka.

Jain monks Gyanshekhar Vijay Maharaj and Hastigiri Maharaj, both of Valsad, were killed on the spot when they were allegedly hit by the truck from behind, around eight km from Bharuch town towards Vadodara on NH-8. They were reportedly on their way to Asuriya village from Bharuch on feet when they met with the accident. The truck driver had sped away after the accident.

The death of the monks had sparked protests across the state with the Jain community alleging that the two were “murdered”.

During funeral procession and cremation of the monks, thousands of Jains had blocked the NH-8. Police had to resort to lathicharge to make the traffic normal on the highway. But angry mourners retaliated with pelting stones at police.

The lathicharge incident had enraged the community all the more and they had demanded suspension of Vadodra range I G Sashikant Trivedi and a probe by CID.

The forensic report stated that the sample of the clothes of the monks matched with the tyre marks collected from the spot.

The state DGP has decided to reward the police and forensic officers for the arrest.

BJP Boycotts Jain Rally at Ahmedabad

Daily Bhaskar 11th January 2013

In a surprising development, BJP councillors belonging to the Jain community did not take part in a silent rally on Thursday over the issue of death of Jain monks in road accidents. Sources claimed that the party has issued a gag order against participation in the rally. 

Thousands of Jain devotees belonging to different sects marched from Mahalaxmi Crossroads to the collector’s office, seeking action from the government. The procession, which started at 8 am, was 3-km long. The protestors handed over a memorandum to the collector, urging the government to protect Jain monks from assaults through road accidents. 

 

However, the BJP’s Jain councillors were missing from the rally. According to sources in the party, “As the rally was taken out to make various demands before the government, the party has directed us not to take part in it. Still we are with the sentiments of our community. Whenever needed, we will support openly if the party permits us.”

 

“There are over ten Jain councillors in the city but they were not present in the rally. Our community mainly sought to implement the scheme for construction of pedestrians’ passage on the highway,” another source said, adding that Ellisbridge MLA Rakesh Shah was present in the rally for a short time.”

 

In his response, Shah said, “It is not true that I was present in the rally for a short time. In fact, I took part in the rally up to the Town Hall.” 

 

The Jains are accusing Anoop Mandal, a spiritual sect, behind the killing of monks through accidents.

Thousands protested road accidents involving Jain monks

Pune Jains March to Protest Attacks on Jain Monks

To protest the attacks on  Jain monks, Jain community from Pune organized a rally on 10th January 2013, under the banner of Sakal Jain Sangh Pune. The main organizers were Jain Sena and Jain Yuvak Mahasangh, Pune, supported by all Jain organizations in the city.

The organizers had expected some 5000 to 6000 participants, but in actual, estimated 30000 Jains, mostly youngsters, took part in the march, the biggest March of Jains in the history of Pune. Thanks to the young generation of Pune Jains.

Two volunteers with the banner of Sakal Jain Sangh

Jain Acharya Dharm Dhurandhar Suriji (Center) with other monks at the start of the march

A small part of the march passing through a street.

Jain Achary Dharm Dhurandhar Suriji reading the memorandum 

to be handed over to the District Collector of Pune

 A Jain mob in front the District Collector office Pune

Jain women in front of the District Collector Office, Pune

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Death of Jain monks sparks violent outbursts across Gujarat

 

Death of Jain monks sparks violent outbursts across Gujarat

 Harish Joshi, TNN Jan 2, 2013

 Bharuch: Wide spread protests have been reported following the mowing down of two Jain monks by a truck near Asuria village located nine kilometres from Bharuch on Tuesday. Stone pelting on the police and subsequent lathi charge took place during their Palkhi Yatra in Bharuch on Wednesday.

More than 10,000 people from the Jain community across the state gathered in Bharuch to attend the cremation of the two monks. The route of the Palkhi Yatra of monks Shri Gyanshekhar Vijay Maharaj and Shri Hastigiri Maharaj Sahib was to begin at 9 am from Srimali Pole Jain Temple in Bharuch to the place where the accident had taken place. However, the route was changed following insistence by the police that was protested by the community leaders.

 The yatra reached Zadeshwar Chowkdi on the highway causing a massive traffic jam. Efforts were made by Inspector General of Police Shashikanth Trivedi, Superintendent of Police Gautam Parmar, MP Mansukh Vasava along with MLAs Dushyant Patel and Arunsinh Rana to maintain calm but they went in vain.

Some miscreants started pelting stones on the police and the latter resorted to a lathi charge to disperse the crowd.

The yatra eventually reached the spot of the accident late in the afternoon where the bodies of both the monks were cremated.

Ajitbhai R Mehta of Jain Monk Vihar Group based in Surat said, "We demand a thorough investigation in the accidental deaths of the monks which we believe is premeditated. We condemn the attitude of the police. Instead of beating innocent people who came to attend the cremation of respected monks they need to investigate the killing of saints who spread the message of peace and harmony in the society." He said that more than 40 monks have been killed in road accidents in the last five years.

Meanwhile, reports of protests by community members have also poured in from Vadodara, Navsari, Ankleshwar and other places.

TOI