Sanskruti Suraksha Manch (SSM), Odisha, a socio-religious organisation, on Monday urged media to refrain from painting all godmen with the same brush.
“During past one month, Odisha-based electronic and print media have gone all out to prove all godmen and women are cheaters, dishonest and land grabbers. People have been so negatively impacted by the reporting that they have started violence everywhere. All religious and spiritual leaders belonging to Hindu religion now feel unsafe,” Prafulla Kumar Rath of SSM said addressing a press conference here.
Mr. Rath said: “SSM is not batting for godmen who are dishonest and have taken undue advantage of gullibility of people. Cautious approach should be taken before putting out any information in public domain.”
“Even the State government has been influenced by sustained reporting by media and has ordered verification of premises of all mutts across the State. Only Hindu religious institutions are being targeted,” he alleged. “In Gajapati, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Kandhamal and Sundargarh districts, many churches and mosques have sprung up on unauthorised land. We want the government to include all religious institutions,” said Arun Kumar Panda, another member of SSM.
