Mumbai Police Take Rs 1 Lakh to Keep Jain Temples Open
On the third day of the Jain festival Paryushan Parva, a Jain youth from Ghatkopar Tweeted the Mumbai Police Commissioner about Mumbai Police taking Rs 1 lakh to keep Jain temples open.
On 5 September 2021, the third day of the Jain festival Paryushan Parva, a Jain youth from Ghatkopar Tweeted the Mumbai Police Commissioner that the Mumbai Police had taken Rs 1 lakh as bribe and allowed the Ghatkopar (East) derasars to be kept open. Ghatkopar police took action immediately after the young man's tweet and closed all the Jain Derasars in Ghatkopar in the evening. The youth then Tweeted and thanked the Mumbai police for the quick action. The closure of the jain temples created a stir within the Jain community. Many community members were deeply hurt by the youth’s tweet as people would not be able to go to the temple during this auspicious time. The Ghatkopar police remained silent regarding the action. The tweet of this Jain youth to the police has raised the possibility of affecting the occasion of 250 Siddhitap ascetics in Ghatkopar (East). After that, a message went viral from a Derasar at Navroji Lane in Ghatkopar (West) that said, 'Following the government's guideline and the current circumstances, prayers will not be held at the derasar. Devotees have to pray at home. Everyone should stay at home and worship as much as possible.' A similar decision was taken by the other derasars in Ghatkopar.
One thing that is particularly noteworthy here is that in the first wave, a Jainacharya who was sitting for four months in the Navroji Lane Sangh, came to Covid positive despite the closure of jain temples. He was immediately taken to Jain Tirth Dharmachakra near Nashik, where he was admitted to a hospital for treatment. A few days back, Suresh Kakani, Additional Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, had appealed, "Strictly follow all the rules of Corona and do not get involved in any kind of program when the expert says that the third wave of Covid can strike at any time. This is the time to pray and worship at home without gathering. We appeal to all of you to cooperate with us by not attending festivals and religious functions.”
A trustee of Jain Derasar in Ghatkopar told Mid-Day, "Even in the first wave, we kept the deras closed during the Paryushan festival and celebrated occasions like virtual lectures. Even now we are celebrating our religious festival with all the rules of Covid. We give full cooperation to the police considering the circumstances.”
