Members of the Dimapur Jain Samaj during the protest rally at the DC office, Dimapur on December 21. (Morung Photo)
Dimapur’s Jain community protest over Shree Sammed Shikharji hill
Morung Express News
Dimapur | December 21
The Jain community in Dimapur took part in a protest rally on Wednesday expressing disappointment over the Jharkhand Government’s declaration of the Shree Sammed Shikharji (Parasnath hills), as a tourist place. The Shree Sammed Shikharji is considered as one of the most holy and revered sites for the Jain community.
Stating that there is a difference between a holy place and a tourism spot and thus, the need to respect it, the Dimapur Jain Samaj mobilised the protest rally which was carried from the DC Court junction towards the Deputy Commissioner’s office.
Earlier, the Union Ministry of Forest and Environment announced its decision to declare Parasnath Hill as an eco-sensitive zone and to permit eco-tourism and other non-religious activities at the site in August 9, 2019. This was followed by the Jharkhand Government’s new tourism policy that recently declared the revered site as a tourist place.
During Wednesday’s protest, members if the Dimapur Jain Samaj maintained that the Shree Sammed Shikharji , which is located in the district of Giridih, Jharkhand is regarded as “the holiest and the greatest Tirth of the Jain community.”
At the end of the protest, the Samaj submitted a memorandum addressed to the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi through the Deputy Commissioner of Dimapur, Sachin Jaiswal demanding the withdrawal of the decision. Terming it as unacceptable to the entire Jain community, the memorandum stated that the sanctity and security of the holy hill will be destroyed and will put a stigma on it.
Putting across the religious significance of the site, it further mentioned that Parasnath hill is the ancient centre of deep mediation of Jain Tirthankaras and Saints, where in 20 out of 24 Jain Tirthankaras attained salvation at the site. Followers from across the world would visit the site for holy pilgrimage on foot, it stated in the memorandum.
For the Jain community of Nagaland, the members claimed that almost 60% have gone for pilgrimage once or twice every year. “We will be planning a religious tour next year in January as well for about 150 of our members,” they stated.
As such, the use of the hill for eco-tourism and other non-religious activities would impact the religious beliefs of the Jains and infringe upon their constitutional rights as a religious minority, they went on to state.
The members of the Samaj thus appealed the Prime Minister to issue necessary orders and directions to the concerned Ministries to withdraw the decision made by the Jharkhand state government, along with providing other required basic facilities, devotees’ registration and to depute CRPF and checking barriers at the site with immediate effect.
