Mumbai: Even as the central government has proposed changes in the Wakf law that governs Muslim religious endowments, Jains have asked for the creation of a statutory board called the 'Jain Development Board' or 'Jain Kalyan Board' in every state with a substantial population of the community.
The body could advise the government in Jain religious matters and protect Jain religious monuments from encroachments and destruction, said the group Vishwa Jain Sangathan which has made the demand for the board. The organisation said that, unlike the Waqf Boards that have absolute control over Muslim religious institutions, they were not seeking jurisdiction over their community's religious properties.
Jains, who form around 0.4% of the country's population, were recognised as a distinct national minority in 2014. Though the National Commission for Minorities, a statutory body which was created under the Commission for Minorities Act, 1992, has a Jain - Dhanyakumar Gunde, as one of its five members, the few states that have minority commissions do not have Jain members. Gujarat, which has a significant Jain population, does not have a minority commission. In April, 2023, the Minority Welfare Department of the Andhra Pradesh government announced a 'Jain Welfare Corporation'. The Rajasthan government announced the appointment of five members to a new 'Rajasthan Rajya Shraman Sanskriti Board' for the Jains. However, the body was not constituted after the change in government.
"There are massive encroachments on ancient Jain monuments in Gujarat, Orissa, Jharkhand, and other states. As the Jain religion is nearly 2500 years old, the monuments are as ancient and are under the control of the archeological departments of the government. We have no say or role in the upkeep or protection of these monuments," said Sanjay Jain, president of the Vishwa Jain Sangathan.
Jain said that the government could take the help of the statutory body to identify, document, and secure Jain religious sites. Recently, the shrines in Girnar, Gujarat, that are associated with Lord Neminath, the 22nd tirthankara, or teacher, of the religion, have been at the centre of court disputes over encroachments.
Chandrashekhar Azad, president of the Azad Samaj Party and Member of Parliament from Nagina, Uttar Pradesh, raised the question of a Jain board while voicing his opposition to amendments in the Waqf law. "Why is the government not creating Jain Minority Boards? The sites of their tirthankaras are under threat from encroachers," he has said.
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