3 Jain monks attacked by robbers at Hanuman temple in Madhya Pradesh

INDORE: Three Jain monks were attacked by six hoodlums inside a Hanuman temple in MP's Neemuch district on Sunday where they were sheltering for the night. The assault sparked tension in Singoli town, 345km from Indore, and traders shut down markets and shops in protest.
Police arrested six suspects from Rajasthan - the border is barely 1km away - and paraded five of them in town. The sixth is a minor. Singoli police station in charge Bhura Lal Bhabhar said the monks - Shailesh Muni Ji, Balbhadra Muni Ji and Munindra Muni Ji - were on a 'Vihar' (religious journey) from Singoli to Neemuch (85km). On Sunday night, they stopped to rest for the night at a Hanuman temple near Kachhala village. During Vihar, Jain monks travel barefoot, relying on others for food and basic needs. Around midnight, the goons arrived on three motorcycles and sat drinking liquor in front of the temple. On noticing the Jain monks, they went in and threatened them with sharp weapons and sticks, and demanded money.
Attack on monks: Locals nab two, hand them over to cops
When the monks said they weren't carrying any cash, the assailants flew into a rage and thrashed them.
One of the Jain monks broke away and ran towards the road when he saw a passing motorcyclist. He told the rider that they were being attacked and asked him to contact members of the Jain community. The motorcyclist promptly made phone calls to some Jains.
Within minutes, residents of Kachhala village put together a rescue party and rushed to the temple. Seeing the villagers, the robbers tried to flee but the locals managed to pin down two of them and handed them to police. SP Ankit Jaiswal also arrived late at night.
The injured monks initially refused to go to hospital but were persuaded to have their wounds treated. Locals then accommodated them at the Jain Sthanak Bhavan.
On Monday, SP Jaiswal, collector Himanshu Chandra and subdivisiona police officer Jawad Nikita Singh visited the injured monks to inquire about their well-being.
The town reacted with anger at the attack on monks and shops were shut. In the evening, the Jain community held a silent procession and submitted a memorandum to the administration, demanding strict action against the accused.
Police said they have six suspects in custody - Ganpat Nayak, Gopal Bhagwan, Kanhaiya Lal, Raju, Babu Sharma, and a minor. All of them are residents of Chittorgarh, 90km from Singoli.
Members of the Jain community gathered to watch five suspects being paraded and raised slogans, demanding the harshest penalty.
"All six attackers have been arrested and booked under various sections of BNS for voluntarily causing hurt to extort, rioting and joint criminal liability," Jaiswal said.
Local MLA Omprakash Saklecha of BJP met the monks. Former CM Kamal Nath and BJP spokesperson Ashish Agrawal expressed their condemnation of the incident and demanded strict action against the accused. TNN