PM Modi Unveils Shiva Bust In Coimbatore, Protesters Cry ‘Illegal’

Protesters: PM Modi must realise that Isha Center is embroiled in legal cases for many building and land violations.

(Photo: PTI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 112-ft bust of ‘Adiyogi’(Shiva) at the Isha Yoga Center in Coimbatore on the occasion of Mahashivaratri.

The Isha Yoga Center has come into limelight for its night-long celebrations, led by its founder and guru, (Sadhguru) Jaggi Vasudev.

Mega Mahashivaratri

This year, the celebrations on February 24 are being held on an international scale, with nearly two lakh people attending, and over five crore devotees being part of it through 23 television channels.

This has brought the allegations of environmental and land violations by the spiritual-yoga-meditation destination back into focus, with activists and locals getting into a flurry of activity.

The Shiva Bust & The Many Controversies

It is a known fact that the Isha Center is embroiled in legal cases for several building and land violations, including a demolition notice for 44,000 sq ft of buildings issued by the Madras High Court in 2013, which the state government is yet to act upon.

The Madras HC, on February 17, heard a public interest litigation (PIL) petition filed by P Muthumal, President of the Velliangiri Hill Tribal Protection Society, seeking to demolish unauthorised construction, including a “120-ft Shivan statue” built on wet lands, restraining further construction, and action against Coimbatore District Collector TN Hariharan for allowing such unauthorised constructions to come up on land falling within the ambit of the Hill Area Conservation Authority (HACA). The HC ssued notices to the Government returnable by March 3.

The Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) heard another application, by advocate M Vetriselvan of the environmental organisation ‘Poovulagin Nanbargal’, seeking an interim order restraining the Isha Center from holding the Mahashivrathri celebrations, from February 21 – 25, 2017, in the buffer zone intimated by the District Forest Officer, Coimbatore.

The applicant had pointed out that the high decibel level sounds throughout the night, huge influx of vehicles, powerful lights, and movement of nearly two lakh people in the area disturbed the normal life of elephants and led to the herds attacking devotees. He had also sought a permanent order restraining the Isha Center from holding any such events in the future.

According to Vetriselvan, here too, the Tribunal posted the plea for further hearing to March 27, much like in other cases, where they are either pending hearing, or the orders are pending implementation against Isha.

In the light of all this, the arrival of the PM upset not only the activists, but also the locals. The contention is whether the PM has agreed to inaugurate the statue knowing about the disputes and violations surrounding the Isha Center.

Activists maintain that PM Modi cannot be ignorant about the situation and must have made the decision to attend the programme in spite of this.

Srinivasan Kuppusamy, who has been fighting the cause for the last five years, had begun a petition “Modiji Please don’t attend the Sadhguru Jaggi’s function, destroyer of tribals and elephants” on Change.org. The petition however could not muster the 2500 backers it targeted.

(With inputs from The News Minute)

Video Editor: Sandeep Suman