Protest in Hyderabad against Jharkhand govt's decision to declare Shri Sammed Shikharji as tourist spot
Jan 11, 2023
Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], January 11 : Amid the Jharkhand government's decision to declare sacred Shri Sammed Shikharji a tourist place, members of the Jain community in Hyderabad on Wednesday held a rally to protest against the Jharkhand government's decision.
"We're protesting against the Jharkhand government's decision to declare Shri Sammed Shikharji (religious site of Jains) as a tourist spot," said Harsha Jain, a protestor.
Earlier in the day the Jain community had organised a rally from Feelkhana Jain Temple to the Collector's office in Telangana, according to sources.
"This (Shri Sammed Shikharji) is a sacred place for us and not a source of entertainment. We demand that the (Jharkhand) government remove the tag of a 'tourist site'. For this, we will hold rallies in different cities to get our temple back," said Harsha Jain, a protestor.
There has been a wave of protests against the Hemant Soren government in Jharkhand, which has been accused of turning a sacred Jain site into a tourist attraction.
Shri Sammed Shikharji is a sacred Jain pilgrimage site located on Parasnath Hills in Jharkhand. It was recently declared a tourist spot by the Jharkhand government.
"We (Jains) are a peaceful community. We demand that the Jharkhand government give our temple back as it represents our values and principles," said another protestor at the rally.
The protesters claimed that the state government's move would disrupt the sanctity of the place.
"Sammed Shikhar is the most ancient and sacred pilgrimage for the Jain community where 20 teaching gods out of the 24 attained salvation. Even today, we go there in clean clothes and bare feet," said Arihant Jain, Shri Digamber Jain Samaj.
Recently, Jain seer Muni Sugyeya Sagar, who was on a hunger strike against the
Jharkhand government's decision passed away in Rajasthan.
Several members of the Jain community blamed the Jharkhand government for his death.
Several protests have been staged across the country, including Mumbai, Aligarh, and Delhi.
