Raging controversy in Maharashtra and Rajasthan over meat ban during weeklong Paryushan Parva has pushed Jain Community in Jharkhand on the back foot. The members of the society after weighting pros and cons of the call decided not to go-ahead with their applications with Ranchi Municipal Corporation and the State Government.
“The Jain community is very frightened at the moment after seeing the controversy and politics that has gathered around the holy Paryushan Parva in other parts of the country. Earlier, we had decided to write to the RMC administrator in our meeting for administering meat ban between September 10 and September 17. Common people are not opposed to the ban but what is baffling is the cheap politics coming into it. Finally, we decided to close the chapter and left to the people to take care of our sentiments,” said Suresh Jain, president of the Swetambar sect of Jainism in Ranchi.
The eight-day period, set to continue till September 17, is considered the biggest festival of the Jain community after the Mahavir Jayanti. The followers observe fast and pray as a mark of forgiveness for any sin or violence committed against anyone.
looking at the sentiments of the community, Maharashtra had imposed a four-day ban on meat sale during the festival followed by Rajasthan stopping sale of any non-vegetarian items for three days throughout the State. Nevertheless the decision has attracted ire of political outfits like Shiv Sena and few others who unjustified the ban citing infringement upon personal freedom and liberty and even hurled threats against the community. This worked as well when on Friday Maharashtra reduced the ban from four to two days. However, Chhattisgarh also joined the league and banned the items till September 18.
“It is a matter of grief that lord Mahavir reinstated the importance of ahimsa in the world and later taking the cue from there Mahatma Gandhi won freedom for the country. However, there is ban on non vegetarian items on Gandhi Jayanti but we have to face threat for the same for lord Mahavir,” added Suresh Jain.
The sect whose members are numbered around 1,200 in Ranchi along with the Digambars with above 5,000 had hold meetings and prepared a memorandum for the RMC and the State Government for the ban. They had also planned to present a delegation before the Governor in this regard but stepped back at the last moment seeing the controversy.
“We did not want to inflame any controversy at this stage here in the State. Our religion teaches non-violence and we cannot endorse any kind of violence, physical or mental against anyone. Now, the community decided to leave it to the wisdom of the others,” said Sampat lal Rampuria, president of Shri Digambar Jain Mandir. Jharkhand, also the place of Parshvanath Temple that belongs to lord Parshvanath-the 23rd Jain Tirthankara, houses around two lakh Jain followers.
Digambars’ ‘Dus lakshana parva’ is starting on September 18 for next 10 days. Most auspicious is the ‘Anant Chaturdasi’ falling on September 27. “If you cannot ban meat sale during the entire ‘Dus lakshana parva’, at least stop it on Anant Chaturdasi. But we want to make an appeal for it as we have seen no action taken on our applications given before,” said Umed Mal Jain who was the head of Digambars on earlier occasion.