Jain seer gives Karnataka govt. 10-day deadline to meet demands; threatens sallekhana in December if demands remain unmet

Acharya Gunadharanandi Maharaj of Varur Navagraha Teertha Kshetra addressing a press conference at Varur near Hubballi on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: KIRAN BAKALE

Acharya Gunadharanandi Maharaj of Varur Navagraha Teertha Kshetra has given the State government 10 days to provide written assurances on five demands of the Jain community, including the establishment of a Jain Development Corporation.

He warned that he would intensify an agitation in stages and undertake sallekhana (a Jain religious vow involving voluntary fasting unto death) in December if the demands were not met.

Addressing a press conference in Hubballi on Tuesday, he said the government had failed to take decisive action despite repeated representations over the past three years. He said he could no longer remain a silent spectator to what he described as injustice to the Jain community.