Jai Jinendra ,

PRECIOUS IDOLS BEING REGULARLY STOLEN FROM JAIN TEMPLES IN THE COUNTRY
As is being reported in the columns of this newsletter, incidents of burglary in jain temples have been occuring in a big way during the last two to three years. Unique and rare collections are being lost and there is hardly any action to recover the stolen items and punish the culprits. Recently, two rare idols of Lord Vasupoojya and Goddess Padmawati, worth over Rs. 2.0 crore, were reported to be stolen from Shree Champapur Digambar Jain temple, at Bhagalpur. Six ancient idols of Jain Tirthankars, made of Asthadhatu, and other valuables were stolen from a Jain temple at Kasan village near Gurgaon on Thursday, the 20th March, 2008. A man was wanted by the police in connection with the theft of nine idols and some other artifacts from the Digambar Jain temple at Achhnera township near Agra. Burglars broke into the famed 140-year-old Parashnath temple in north Kolkata's Manicktola area and stole five antique idols, a century-old lamp and other valuable items. Jewellery worth Rs. 95,000 has been stolen from some of the Jain temples in Ahmedabad. Thus, there has been a sudden spurt in burglaries in spite of the fact that security has been uppermost in the minds of the trustees of the temples. Stern action is necessary from the side of authorities to stop such recurring incidents.