Jain seer gives Karnataka govt. 10-day deadline to meet demands; threatens sallekhana in December if demands remain unmet

Acharya Gunadharanandi Maharaj of Varur Navagraha Teertha Kshetra addressing a press conference at Varur near Hubballi on Tuesday.

Acharya Gunadharanandi Maharaj of Varur Navagraha Teertha Kshetra has given the State government 10 days to provide written assurances on five demands of the Jain community, including the establishment of a Jain Development Corporation.

He warned that he would intensify an agitation in stages and undertake sallekhana (a Jain religious vow involving voluntary fasting unto death) in December if the demands were not met.

Addressing a press conference in Hubballi on Tuesday, he said the government had failed to take decisive action despite repeated representations over the past three years. He said he could no longer remain a silent spectator to what he described as injustice to the Jain community.

The jain monk said the agitation would begin if the government failed to provide a clear written assurance within 10 days. A march and satyagraha would be organised in November, and he would consider undertaking sallekhana in December if the government continued to remain unresponsive.

The five demands include setting up an independent Jain Development Corporation or board; introducing a special security mechanism for the safe movement of Jain monks and nuns; framing regulations to protect Jain pilgrimage centres, temples and historic religious institutions; providing annual free pilgrimage to Shri Sammed Shikharji for economically weaker Jain devotees; and establishing government rest houses or temporary night shelters along the routes used by monks and nuns.

He urged the government to convene a high-level meeting and constitute a joint committee comprising community representatives and officials from the departments concerned. The government should also provide a written response within 10 days, specifying the status of each demand, the department responsible and a timeline for implementation, he said.

If the government failed to respond positively, the first phase of the agitation would involve foot marches to the residences of MLAs in Jamkhandi, Teradal, Kagwad, Athani, Chikkodi, Nipani, Hukkeri and Belagavi to submit memoranda. This would be followed by a large-scale foot march from Chikkodi to Belagavi and a satyagraha, he said.

The agitation would remain entirely non-violent and would not target any political party, he said, appealing to legislators across party lines to support the community’s demands.

The acharya said the demands concerned the development of the Jain community, the safety of monks and nuns, and the protection of its religious heritage. The government should move beyond assurances and provide a written commitment with a clear implementation schedule, he added.