Pune Video: Sakal Jain Sangh Protests Outside Collector's Office Against Vile Parle Temple Demolition
The Sakal Jain Sangh on Tuesday staged a demonstration outside the Collector's Office in Pune over the demolition of their community's temple in Mumbai's Vile Parle area.
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They were seen with placards which read — "Vah mandir hamara hai, hum isse vahi rakhenge", "Hum shaant hain, lekin kamzor nahi", "Mandir vahi banayenge, aastha ko nahi mitayenge", "Ahimsa is not weakness, it is our symbol of strength", "Darke nahi, datke khade rahenge. Ahimsak hain, kayar nahi," and more.
"A Jain temple in Mumbai's Vile Parle was suddenly and illegally demolished, and an inhuman act of breaking the image was carried out by the Mumbai Encroachment Department. Pune Sakal Jain Sangh is strongly condemning this act," the protestors said in a statement.
The demolition of the 90-year-old Jain temple has evoked an angry reaction among the members of the Jain community.
Amid strong protests, the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) transferred Assistant Commissioner Navnath Ghadge, who was in charge of K East Ward, with immediate effect. The BMC justified its action, saying it had a court order, but the Jain community alleged that the temple was demolished without giving them any notice.
A peaceful rally was organised to protest the incident, in which Maharashtra minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha and BJP legislator Parag Alavani also participated.
MP and Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad, who participated in the protest march, claimed BMC officials demolished the temple without waiting for the court's ruling. The idols of Jain Tirthankars and religious texts were also "insulted" during the action, she alleged, blaming the "bulldozer government of the BJP alliance" responsible for the "conspiracy." She spoke to BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, who assured that a new temple will be built at the same place, she said.
Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar accused the BJP government of "targeting the minorities". "It is wrong to demolish a structure without giving proper notice. Action should be taken against the officials involved in this," he said.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray said the BMC was being fully and directly controlled by the Chief Minister's Office and Urban Development Minister's office, suggesting that they were to blame for the incident. "Who was guardian minister (Lodha) protesting against? What he is doing is drama instead of saving the Derasar (temple) using his powers as guardian minister! "He has an illegal office in the BMC itself, and has a huge experience of real estate and such cases. Instead of protecting the Derasar, now he is doing the drama of a protest. I hope everyone realises - the BJP belongs to nobody. It is the BJP government that is running the BMC through the CM's office," Thackeray alleged.
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