Sammed Shikharji controversy: Another Jain monk dies in Jaipur after fasting indefinitely in protest of the Jharkhand government’s decision.

Another Jain monk died on Thursday night while fasting in protest of the Jharkhand government’s decision to turn the famous Shri Sammed Shikharji shrine into a tourist attraction.

Muni Samarth Sagar died in Jaipur’s Jain temple at Sanganer. He had been fasting since December 25 in protest of the Jharkhand government’s decision. This is the second such death in four days, following the death of Muni Sugyeya Sagar in protest of the same issue.

According to reports, he died at approximately 1.17 a.m. (local time) in Jaipur.

The monk was too weak to fast while the central government halted all activities at the site, the Parasnath Hills in Jharkhand.

Protests erupt in response to the Jharkhand government’s decision regarding Shri Sammed Shikharji.

The deaths follow nationwide protests by the Jain community against the Jharkhand government’s decision to develop Shri Sammed Shikharji as a tourism centre, a decision that members of the Jain community and their monks believe will diminish the region’s spiritual significance and pave the way for the commercialization of a pilgrim centre where 20 of the current cycle’s 24 Tirthankaras attained salvation.

Large crowds of Jains protested in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bhopal, New Delhi, Surat, and other cities against the Jharkhand government’s decision to promote religious tourism at Parasnath Hills, claiming that it would tarnish the sanctity of Shri Sammed Shikharji. The protests have continued this week, with thousands of protesters taking to the streets in cities across the country, demanding that the Jharkhand government reverse its decision.

Centre issues directive halting all activities at the site

Following nationwide Jain community protests against the Hemant Soren government’s decision to turn Shri Sammed Shikharji Tirth in Jharkhand into a tourism hub, the central government has issued directives prohibiting all such activities in the larger Parasnath Hills. The Jain community’s revered pilgrimage site is located in these hills.

Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav took to Twitter to share the news. “I met Jain community members who have been urging me to protect Sammed Shikhar’s sanctity. “Assured them that the government of PM Shri @narendramodi ji is committed to preserving and protecting the rights of the Jain community over all their religious sites, including Sammed Shikhar,” the Union Minister tweeted.