Jains take out rally, demand action against sacrilege of Shetrunjaya hills

Hundreds of members of the Jain community took out a rally in Ahmedabad, seeking action against anti-social elements allegedly desecrating the sacred Shetrunjaya Hills in Gujarat's Bhavnagar district.

Hundreds of members of the Jain community took out a rally in Ahmedabad on Sunday, seeking action against anti-social elements allegedly desecrating the sacred Shetrunjaya Hills in Gujarat's Bhavnagar district.

Led by religious heads of the community, hundreds took part in the rally and walked for 3 km, demanding action against illegal mining activities, liquor dens and encroachment of government land on the hills.

Situated on the banks of Shetrunji river around 164 feet above sea level, Shetrunjaya Hills near Palitana city are home to 865 Jain temples and is a holy place for Shwetambara Jains.

Members of the community have held more than 85 rallies in different parts of the state ever since the "charan paduka" of a Jain saint was vandalised at a temple on the hills on November 26 last year, the secretary of a Jain trust in Ahmedabad said.

The community also handed over a memorandum with a list of demands at the district collector's office, he said.

All the demands are related to illegal activities and the state government should not find it hard to tackle them, said Pranav Shah, secretary of Samagra Jain Swetambar Murtipujak Tapagachh Shree Mahasangh of Ahmedabad city.

The community is demanding action against illegal mining on the hills that is desecrating the sanctity of the region and has flagged the issue of illegal construction, he said.

Hand carts and shops along the roads should also be removed and hooch dens that have cropped up in the area need to be shut, Shah said.

"All illegal activities in the hills such as mining and land grabbing should be stopped and the hills should be mapped to remove illegal construction these are our main demands," Shah told PTI.

"We have created a road map for the development of Palitana and nearby areas with the help of the administration. Jain communities from across India can work in this direction," he said.