Thousands of individuals from the Jain community participated in a silent protest across various cities in Madhya Pradesh against the decision by the Jharkhand government and Indian government to promote tourism on the sacred Sammed Shikharji hills in Jharkhand. Members of the Jain community marched in cities such as Indore, Bhopal, Jabalpur, Ujjain, Narmadapuram, Gwalior, Sagar, and Khandwa as part of the nationwide ‘Save Shikharji’ campaign.
In Bhopal, shops remained closed until 2pm in support of the protest. Anand Taran, one of the protest organizers in Bhopal, expressed concern that declaring Shikharji in Giridih as a tourist spot would diminish its sanctity. He emphasized that the Shikharji hills hold great significance for Jains across different sects, as twenty Tirthankars attained Nirvana there and hundreds of temples are frequented by Jain families daily.
The protestors started their march from Imami Gate in Bhopal, passing through Ibrahimpura, Chowk, and other neighborhoods of Old Bhopal. The march was halted at Kamla Park, where Minister Omprakash Sakhlecha and some Jain MLAs accepted a memorandum addressed to the Prime Minister. Additionally, a delegation from the Jain community met Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to discuss the matter.