Banks have no space to keep coins: Shirdi Sai Baba temple CEO
Shirdi, Jun 14: The counting of cash collected in donation boxes of the famous Sai Baba temple in Shirdi was Friday cancelled as bank officials did not turn up citing lack of space to keep coins, Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust CEO Deepak Muglikar said.
He said the SSST had written to the banks as well as the Reserve Bank of India to solve this issue.
"Counting of cash in our donation boxes is done twice a week in the presence of bank officials. The cash, on an average, totals Rs 2 crore during each counting session, including Rs 5 lakh in coins. The procedure is to deposit the cash and coins in eight nationalised banks on a rotation basis," he explained.
"For the past few months, banks have been telling us they do not have space to store coins. We have asked them and the RBI to solve the problem," he added.
Sources said coins worth Rs 1.5 crore collected from SSST are lying in the form of deposits in banks.
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Activists write open letter to Odisha govt flagging anti-Christian violence
New Delhi: Activists and rights campaigners John Dayal, Aakar Patel, Vidya Dinker and Harsh Mander have expressed serious concern over the alleged rise in violence and intimidation against Christians in several districts, accusing both Hindutva organisations and sections of the police of targeting the minority community.
In a strongly worded communication addressed to the state administration, the signatories said they had received disturbing testimonies from affected people regarding social boycott, denial of burial rights, physical assaults and police intimidation.
According to the activists, Christians in some areas were allegedly boycotted by villagers, while people who traded with them, employed them or provided them shelter were also targeted.
The letter also highlighted what it described as “gruesome” incidents involving the prevention of burials of Christians within village burial grounds and even on privately owned lands belonging to Christian families. The activists said there were cases where bodies remained unburied for days due to opposition from local groups, while in some instances burials were allegedly forced to take place in forest areas outside village limits. Funeral prayers were also reportedly disrupted.
The signatories further alleged that in certain districts the violence escalated into physical assaults on Christians. They claimed that some victims were tied to trees and beaten, while others were allegedly placed inside sacks and assaulted. The letter also mentioned a few reported instances of sexual violence and attempts to burn people alive, which, according to them, were stopped at the last moment.
Expressing particular concern, the activists said many victims had testified that police personnel joined hands with Hindutva organisations to force Christians into signing “compromise” agreements. These agreements allegedly required them to give up their faith and stop collective worship.
The letter also accused the police of registering serious criminal cases against victims of attacks instead of taking action against the attackers. According to the signatories, many of those attacked were detained in police stations and jails, while in some cases the police themselves allegedly played a direct role in intimidation and violence against Christians.
Stating that there appeared to be a “complete breakdown in the constitutional machinery of the state” in relation to Christian minorities, the activists urged the administration to uphold and protect the constitutional and religious rights of all citizens without discrimination based on religion, caste or creed.
The letter was signed by John Dayal, Aakar Patel, Vidya Dinker and Harsh Mander.
