Author: Staff Reporter
Publication: Afternoon Despatch & Courier
Date: march 12, 2007
URL: http://www.cybernoon.com/DisplayArticle.asp?section=fromthepress&subsection=inbombay&xfile=March2007_inbombay_standard12359
Introduction: Protestors allege that proposed
laws discriminate against believers
Maharashtra is about to pass a bill to take
over all the temple trusts and to implement the Black Magic Act in the coming
session Maharashtra is about to pass a bill to take over all the temple trusts
and to implement the Black Magic Act in the coming session. An organisation
which works for the safekeeping of the Hindu religion, Hindu Janajagruti Samiti
(HJS) has been expressing strong opposition to the implementation of these
laws. They have held protests several times in different places. Such a protest
was staged near Parel railway station.
According to the organisation, there is no
need to introduce new laws because the existing laws are sufficient to control
illegal malpractices. They also say that the Maharashtra government is doing
this just to show that it is a progressive government. The Maharashtra Eradication
of Black Magic, Evil and Aghori Practices Bill, 2005 (better known as Black
Magic Bill), has now been submitted to the Upper House for ratification. If
approved, Maharashtra will have a draconian law that targets the faith of
the people.
A coordinator with the Mumbai region of the
Samiti Shivaji Vatkar said, "Police will have many uncontrolled powers.
Though the name of bill suggests that it is intended to eradicate black magic,
this is not true. Many expert counsellors have clarified that under the name
of black magic, this law is actually targeting faith and all the crimes listed
under this law are already covered under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), so there
is no need for a new law."
He also mentioned that the bill is proposed,
drafted and being forced by a group of rational thinking, namely Andha Shraddha
Nirmulan Samiti, an organisation that works against superstitions. Their leaders
are Dr. Narendra Dabholkar and Prof. Shyam Manav. The bill is intended to
arrest saints and devotees as declared by this organization.
Apart from the Black Magic Act, the State
plans to take over all temples within the state, but mosques have been excluded.
"The secular state government has excluded all the mosques, durgahs and
madarassas registered with the Wakf Board," said Vatkar. The Congress
united front government running Maharashtra state has made it bankrupt and
is now planning to take over 4,50,000 temples and all religious institutions
in the state. As per the recommendations of the 15th Law Commission formed
under the chairmanship of D. N. Chaudhury, the state government is planning
to pass a law to this effect.
Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh ordered the
drafting of a new law after a stampede killed 267 people at Mandradevi Temple
in Satara in January 2005. The Maharashtra Temples or Religious Institutions
(Management and Regulation) Bill will come soon in the cabinet. The government
has put forth the reason that planning and utilization of temple funds is
not done properly and therefore, the above law is proposed.
According to the Samiti, the government is
proposing the temple takeover act because government has become bankrupt and
wishes to utilize money offered by devotees to conceal its failure. The government
is taking over only wealthy temple trusts and ignoring the trusts which actually
need the financial support. Congress and Marxist governments have misused
temple funds in various states including Maharashtra.