Maharashtra Minority Commission To Hear Complaint Against BMC Over Demolition Of Vile Parle Jain Temple

The Maharashtra State Minority Commission will hear the complaint regarding the demolition of Vile Parle’s Jain temple. The commission has also directed the commissioner of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), senior police officials as well as other administrative officers.

The civic body had demolished a 90-year-old 1008 Parshvanath Digambar Jain Temple in Vile Parle’s Kambli Wadi alleging the temple structure to be illegal. The demolition had created a huge uproar among the Jain community which alleged that the demolition was carried out under the influence of a local businessman who wanted to build a hotel and bar at the site. Following a huge rally by the community on Saturday against the demolition, the civic body on Saturday transferred the ward officer, who had ordered the demolition.

Anil Shah, the trustee of the Jain temple and Sandeep Bhandari, national vice president of All India Jain Minority Federation, had also filed a complaint with the Maharashtra State Minority Commission. The commission took cognizance of the matter and has scheduled a hearing on Tuesday. The commission has also summoned the municipal commissioner, andditional commissioner of police (anti-corruption), deputy commissioner of police (Zone-8) and in-charge officer of BMC K/East wards’s Building and Factory department to be present during the hearing.

Bhandari said, “We had demanded the commission to start an enquiry against the demolition and restoration of the temple. We have also demanded that the concerned officials should be investigated by the anti-corruption bureau and should also be suspended.”

“The commission has received complaints that the demolition of the Digambar Jain temple, a place of worship for the devotees of the Jain community, has hurt the sentiments of the Jain community across the country. In accordance with these complaints, an urgent hearing has been organized as per the directions of the chairman of the commission,” said a spokesperson with the commission.

The community has been demanding that the civic body should suspend the assistant municipal commissioner Navnath Ghadge, who has been transferred for ordering the demolition. The community has also demanded that the temple should be restored at the same place at the civic body’s expense for rushing the demolition without waiting for the High Court’s order.

The Bombay High Court had pulled up the civic body for carrying out the demolition while the stay appeal was scheduled. It had directed the BMC to stop the demolition until the next hearing, which is scheduled on April 30.