Hundreds of members of the Jain community taking out a march in Hubballi on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: KIRAN BAKALE
Seeking requisite measures for ensuring the safety of Jain monks during their foot march from one place to another, hundreds of members of the Jain community took out a peaceful protest march in Hubballi on Wednesday.The protestors comprising hundreds of women and children were led by Jain monks and leaders of the community.Beginning from Shanthinath Jain Temple on Kanchagar Galli in Hubballi, the silent protest march passed through Shankar Mutt, Durgad Bail, Broadway, Koppikar Road before reaching the Mini Vidhana Soudha where the office of the Hubballi tahsildar is located.The community leaders and the Jain monks submitted memoranda addressed to the State and Central governments and demanded requisite measures.The protestors highlighted the increasing number of road accidents during the foot march (vihar) of Jain monks and also a few suspicious hit-and-run cases.Increasing number of such instances have become a big challenge for the Jain monks who travel from one place to another on foot, deliver discourses for a stipulated period and then proceed to their next destination, they said.They said that it is the responsibility of the governments to ensure the safety of Jain monks who through their foot march spread the message of non-violence, patience, peace and human welfare.Considering the increasing number of road accidents, it has become necessary for the governments to take the matter seriously and initiate safety measures, they said.In a memorandum submitted to both the governments, the community members have sought the implementation of a set of special guidelines for the safety of Jain monks, additional security in sensitive places, impartial inquiry into accidents involving them and strict action against those found guilty.President of Shri Jain Marudhar Sangh Jayantilal Parmar, president of Sthanakvasi Samaj Ukchand Bafna, president of Digambar Jain Samaj Rajendra Bilgi, president of Shri Kachi Dasa Oswal Jain Sangh Sharad Momayam, Kantilal Jain of Keshwapur Jain Sangh, Shantilal Jain of Vasupujya Jain Sangh, member of Prime Minister’s 15-Point Minority Welfare Programme Mahendra Singhi and several others, including Amrut Porwal, Vimal Talikoti, Santosh Patil, Lalit Jain, Santosh Dumavat, Shailesh Jain, Nilesh Jain, Subhash Dank, led the protest. Published - June 03, 2026 07:46 pm IST
