The Central and Jharkhand governments have jointly decided that Sammed Shikhar will remain a place of pilgrimage, National Commission of Minorities (NCM) chairman Iqbal Singh Lalpura told the media on Wednesday, adding that the decision has brought peace among the Jain community. Reacting to the NCM’s statement, members of the Vishwa Jain Sanghathan (VJS) said that they are neither happy nor satisfied with the developments so far.
Last year, the Jharkhand government had decided to promote religious tourism in the Parasnath Hills and Sammed Shikhar, a region revered as a Jain pilgrimage centre where 20 of the 24 Tirthankars have attained salvation. Jain community leaders said that declaring the pilgrimage centre as a tourism spot would damage the very sanctity of Sammed Shikar. After countrywide protests, the Central government had asked the State to maintain the sanctity of the revered hills.
“The government of India and the Jharkhand government told us during the hearing held on Tuesday that the Sammed Shikhar will remain a ‘religious place’. They also told us that neither alcohol will be allowed at this spot not meat will be sold,” said Mr. Lalpura. The decision of the respective governments has pacified the Jain community, he claimed. “We are thankful to the governments that they had respected our advice and this has brought peace to the Jain community which was agitating to declare the sacred mountains as a place of pilgrimage,” he added.
Objections remain: Jain leader
Reacting to this, VJS president Sanjay Jain told The Hindu that the Jain community would continue its protest until the government not just declared the Sammed Shikhar and Madhuban hills as a ‘religious place’ but also removed it from the eco-sensitive zone. “The Commission has asked us to give our objection in a week. We will give the same,” he added.
Meanwhile, the NCM chief also told media that the Commission would be sending a team to Haldwani to meet the protesting people who have been asked to vacate the land, allegedly owned by the Railways.
“The NCM team will speak to the people from minority communities in Haldwani’s Gafoor Basti who have been asked to vacate their homes by the Railway authorities. After taking stock of the situatio,n we will talk to the government that what can be done on the ground,” said Mr. Lalpura, adding that the government must ensure that no one goes homeless.
Justice for 1984 victims
In the last one month, the National Commission for Minorities has received 168 petitions, out of which 73 have been disposed of. In the remaining 95 cases, action has been initiated and reports have been called. During the year 2022, 1,895 petitions were received by the NCM, out of which 1,422 have been disposed of.
Speaking on the status of rehabilitation and justice for the victims of 1984 Sikh riots, NCM members said that they have sought information from nine States regarding compensation given to the victims. “States like Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Odisha and Uttarakhand have been reminded to send the information urgently while the rest have provided us the same,” said Mr. Lalpura.
The NCM has also formed a team to examine the termination of the Maulana Azad National Fellowship programme for PhD scholars from minority communities.
Speaking at length about complaints regarding the non-implementation of the Anand Marriage Act in different States, due to which Sikhs are facing problems in registering their marriages, the NCM chief said that the Commission has sent a letter to the Chief Secretaries of every State.
“The Act was passed in 1909. However, no rule has been framed. In 2012, it has been amended with adding Karaj to it. Even the State government in a place like Punjab, where the majority of the Sikh population lives, hasn’t made the rules in matter so far. Only proforma for issue of marriage certificate has been framed,” said Mr. Lalpura, adding that only a few States such as Kerala, New Delhi and Madhya Pradesh have implemented the law so far.
