Union Minister Pralhad Joshi visited the Navagruha Tirtha Kshetra Ashram in Varur near Hubballi on Sunday to urge Sri Gunadhar Nandi Maharaj to drop his plans for a fast unto death, seeking written assurance from the government on the safety of the Jain seers in the State.
Mr. Joshi appealed to the seer not to embark on his fast, saying that he will urge the State government to fulfil his demands like providing security to seers and to ensure strict legal action against the offenders.
Mr. Joshi later said that the seer has assured him of dropping his plan to go on a fast.
On Sunday, the monk said that he was shocked by the ghastly act and also pained by the silence of the government and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on the incident.
He demanded a thorough investigation by the police and announced that he will give up food and water till the government gave a written assurance on the safety of all monks. He also demanded severe punishment to those involved in the crime.
Mr. Joshi said that he had suspicions about the sincerity of the police in the matter. “We want the CBI to carry out the probe, not the State Police,” he said.
“The Belagavi Police did not release the names of the accused till Member of Legislative Assembly Abhay Patil threatened that he will go a protest. What is the meaning of that? Does it mean that the police and Karnataka government are trying to protect one of the accused as he belongs to a particular community? It clearly leads to suspicion that the State government is trying to protect one of the accused to appease his community,” he said.
“Why is the government acting like this? Is that because Jains are a minority community and a smaller vote bank?” he said.
“A Jain monk has been murdered in the most heinous manner. He has been electrocuted, his body dismembered and the pieces thrown into a borewell. The police did not take the case seriously even after the missing case was filed. They are now trying to mislead the people of the State by implying that the deceased seer was into moneylending business. We have information that he gave money to one of the accused to build his house,” he said.
“The State government should act in a mature manner. It should not behave in a manner that it invites the wrath of the Jain monks,” he said.
Sri Gunadhar Nandi Maharaj said that Mr. Siddaramaiah is not taking the case seriously. “Would the Chief Minister reacted in such a manner if the victim was from his own community? The Chikkodi seer has been treated worse than that of a terrorist. The State government should keep that in mind when ensuring punishment for the offenders. The State government should provide police protection to the Jain monks who walk across the country for spreading the message of Jain religion,” the seer said.
