Gujarat govt to form task force to deal with protesting Jain community

Gujarat govt will form a task force to deal with grievances of Jain community regarding alleged illegal activities in the Shetrunjaya Hills area in Bhavnagar district, Minister of State for Home said

The Gujarat government will form a task force to deal with the grievances of the Jain community regarding alleged illegal activities in the Shetrunjaya Hills area in Bhavnagar district, Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi said on Tuesday.

The Jain community has been staging protests in the state after the ancient 'Charan Paduka' at a temple at Rohishala in Shetrunjaya Hills was vandalised on November 26, and CCTV cameras at the site were damaged on December 16. "The Chief Minister (Bhupendra Patel) today took a decision to form a task force which will take action after thoroughly studying the issues," Sanghavi told reporters in Surat. A police chowky (outpost) will be set up at Shetrunjaya Hills and a police sub-inspector will be in charge there, the minister informed.

One person has been arrested in the case, he added.

Jain organizations have held rallies in Bhavnagar, Ahmedabad, Surat and even Mumbai demanding action against "illegal activities" in the area which is home to more than 800 Jain temples. Illegal mining and liquor sale are taking place in the area, desecrating the holy site, they have alleged. Illegal mining should be stopped and encroachments in the area should be removed, Jain leaders have demanded.