Friday November 6, 2009, 8:22 am
To,

Shri Ashok Gehlot

The Chief Minister,

Government of Rajasthan

New Delhi.

Subject: Mass agitation and hunger strike by thousands of Sadhus & Devotees from around the world in opposition to the State Government’s unscrupulous conduct in managing the illegal mining issue of the sacred Braj area and the illegal non-compliance of the Hon’ble Supreme Court’s rulings.

Sir,

This is to acquaint you with the resentment and agony of sadhus, saints and Lord Krishna devotees worldwide, due to the irresponsible and unscrupulous conduct of the State Government in handling the sensitive issue of illegal mining of the sacred Braj Hills.

It was indeed unfortunate to learn that a committee has been formed to reevaluate the original decision of banning the disastrous mining which has already caused massive destruction of the sacred landmarks of our religious heritage. It is surprising that instead of acting swiftly to avert the illegal mining, the state government, under the political pressure of individuals with vested interests, has formed such a committee. Sadly, to add even further indignity to the situation, the committee was formed at a time the affected group of Sadhus were sitting on hunger strike against the destruction of their revered hills. The State Government thus continues its seemingly deliberate trend of mockery of the 5,000 year old Hindu tradition and the 8 year untiring effort of an affected community.

Although the government and local administration have been informed repeatedly about the illegal mining, the local administration’s involvement in the promotion of the mining, and the kind of destruction which is happening due to indiscriminate mining, nothing has been done except for the deliverance of assurances.

The Government’s failure in ceasing the illegal mining, despite of its’ own orders and clear cut directions by the Hon’ble supreme Court & High court, has aroused blazing resentment amongst sadhus and Lord Krishna devotees.

Now the religious community, fighting for protection of the holy hills of Braj, has pledged to initiate a mass movement against the impotent, negligent and unscrupulous practices of the Government and local administration.

It has been decided to further accentuate the current agitation and hunger strike by the sadhus at Kalawata Villlage of Tehsil Kaman in Bharatpur District to massive proportions. If by the 8th of November our following demands, in protection of holy hills, are not accepted and fulfilled then the government should be prepared to face the most large-scale hunger strike and demonstration ever encountered against the destruction of a Hindu heritage site. Thousands of devotees from different parts of the world and India will be mobilized and devotedly waiting to participate.

The agitation will not be terminated until our all demands are met.

Demands:

1. Government should immediately move the pending file for declaration of the entire land measuring 5232 hectare, which has already been transferred to the forest, as Reserved Forest. The movement will not be terminated until the Notification is published in the newspapers.
2. Government should immediately abolish the committee formed by the Mining Minister for review of the decision taken by the previous State Government on the banning of the mining in Braj.
3. A task force [ Police, STF etc.] of not less than 1000, should be deployed in the entire hilly area of Braj which comes under the domain of Rajasthan, for at least a period of one year, to monitor and avert the rampant illegal mining.
4. People involved in illegal mining should be fittingly prosecuted by way of relevant civil & criminal laws.
5. Pending cases in High court regarding the mining in Braj and the use of crushers must be addressed immediately.
6. State Government shall immediate stop insensitively operating Crushers in Braj area by passing fresh orders, as the working of these crushers is the root cause of illegal mining and is also affecting the religious topography of entire area.
7. Illegal mining must be strictly checked out by all means. Suggestions given during various meeting held by the district Collect and the Divisional Commissioner of Bharatpur should be immediately executed.
8. Officials involved in the corruption of promoting illegal mining should be immediately prosecuted.
9. Government shall immediately form Supervision cum coordination committee comprising of deciding authorities at government level and representatives from our community for a regular follow up on the current situation of mining. Strong measures should be immediately taken, as and when required, based on recommendations of the committee formed in order to ensure the complete and uniform ban of mining in the sacred area.
10. The State Government shall immediately pursue the UPA led Central Government to terminate 5 major leases in the Braj area. The matter has been pending before the Central Mining Department for last 22 months. This could be done immediately as the same leadership is there and it has already been an exorbitant amount of time in dealing with such a simple matter. Especially since the entire land has already been transferred to Forest per Supreme Court Direction which states that no non-forest activity can take place in that area. The agitation will not be withdrawn until these leases are terminated.



We hope that at least now you realize the sensitivity and magnitude of the issue and react promptly for the protection of our religious heritage which is solely your responsibility. We also, one more time, strive to apprise the government of their duties, sense of responsibility and the appropriate methods of conducting legal matters while the government still has a small window of opportunity to protect its dignity and honor. Otherwise, this matter will naturally and inevitably escalate into a far-reaching scream of thousands of broken-hearted Bhakths peaking on the date of November 8th. As the world watches, the decision to permanently bring this matter to a close is now yours. We pray, for the sake of our country and tradition, you make the right choice

Yours sincerely




Copy to:

1. Smt. Sonia Gandhi, Convener, UPA, New Delhi.
2. Rahul Gandhi, Gen. Secretary, Congress [I], New Delhi.
3. Union Minister for Mining, New Delhi
4. Union Minister for Forest and Environment, New Delhi.
5. Prime Minister Office, New Delhi.
6. Office of Chief Justice, Supreme Court, New Delhi
7. Office of Chief Justice, Rajasthan High Court, Jaipur
8. Mining and Environment Minister, Gov. of Rajasthan, Jaipur.
9. Chief Secretary, Government of Rajasthan.
10. Secretary, Mining Department, Government of Rajasthan.
11. Secretary, Forest Department, Government of Rajasthan.
12. Ms. Meera Shankar (Indian Ambassador to the USA)
13. Radha Kant Shashtri. Executive President. Maan Mandir Sewa Sansthan Trust