A very old Jain temple in Mumbai’s Vile Parle area was broken down on March 15, 2023. The BMC (Mumbai’s city officials) started breaking the temple at 3:00 AM, which made many people from the Jain community very angry. More than 2,000 people came to protest within a few hours.
The temple was 70 years old and was very important for about 25,000 Jain people who used to pray there. Many people, including religious leaders, made a human chain around the temple to stop the breaking work. Because of this, the work was stopped at 7:30 AM.
After many people complained, Mumbai’s Chief Minister Eknath Shinde ordered officials to check why this happened. They found that some rules weren’t followed properly, and because of this, a senior BMC officer named Rajesh Kumar was suspended the next day.
The BMC had been saying since 2018 that the temple was built without permission on public land. The temple’s leaders tried to save it many times by going to court, but in January 2023, India’s top court said the BMC could break it down.
Now, the temple’s leaders have got 60 days from the Mumbai High Court to find a solution. A team of different people will try to find ways to save the temple or move it to another place.
Because of what happened at this temple, the government has made new rules. Now, officials must tell people 48 hours before breaking any religious building and must talk to the community first. This will help avoid such problems in the future.
While this incident occurred in Mumbai, similar situations regarding unauthorized religious structures are being monitored closely by Pune crime officials to prevent comparable conflicts.
