Jain delegation meets minister about safety of temples in Maha

A delegation of 'Jain Alpsankhyak Seva Sansthan' today met the Maharashtra Minister of State for Home Ram Shinde here and demanded enhanced security at the Jain temples in the state. A centuries-old stone idol of Lord Mahavir was stolen from a temple in Lachuar village in Jamui district in Bihar on Friday. The delegation included president of the organisation Arvind Shah, vice president Sanjay J Shah, Mumbai BJP spokesperson Yogesh Verma and others. "Our Santhan would provide the guidelines for the precautionary measures to be taken at all the temples in the state and will extend all sort of help to the government," said Sanjay Shah, who is also a member of the state-appointed Jain minority development committee. "I pray to the Lord Mahavir to give wisdom to the people involved in the theft so that they return the idol," he said after the meeting. Verma said the incident was a major setback for the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government. "I hope at least now the Bihar government wakes up, otherwise 'jungle-raj part II' will start," he said. The organisation said in a statement that Shinde assured that security-related help would be provided to thousands of Jain temples in Maharashtra and the community should not worry.