Indore Jains divided: Statues broken, faces blackened at Gommatgiri

Jains in Indore are divided over whether statues of living persons could be installed in a temple or pilgrimage.

A clash of ego between two prominent Jain businessmen, Bharat Modi and Pradip Kasliwal has led to a situation where a group of Jain youths stormed into Gomatgiri pilgrimage where they broke down the statues.

Dozens of youths stormed into Gomatgiri pilgrimage of Jains and broke the statues of Bharat
Modi and Kusum Modi, and blackened the faces of statues. The Digambar Jains are divided in two groups in Indore over the controversy whether living people's statues should be installed in temple.

Digambar Jain Yuva Sangathan activists armed with rods and other equipments reached the spot and brought the statues down. The statues of Chandraprabha Modi and Babulal Patodi were not touched but youths warned that they would have to be removed as well soon.

The Samaj is divided between Bharat Modi and Pradeep Kasliwal. The latter alleges that Modi has got mad due to his wealth and got his statues installed in the temple premises. The visitors have to see these statues of living persons before seeing the statues of Mahavir and other tirthankars.

Digambar leader Babulal Patodi said that even another prominent Jain Sir Seth Hukum Chand was also installed in his life time and it is not wrong. The activists who demolished the statues were led by Rohit Dhanote and Akshay Kala.