Continuing their sustained campaign of moral policing, the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS), right-wing Hindu outfit had petitioned north Goa Magistrate here on Tuesday to impose a ban on the sale of T-shirts with printed pictures of Hindu deities.
A HJS delegation comprising Ms. Seema Pednekar, Chairprson of All India Women’s Conference, Ms. Rajshree Gadekar of Ranaragini, Ms. Kumud Kamat of Sanatan Sanstha met Magistrate Neela Mohanan and submitted a memorandum in this regard.
HJS said that sale of the said T-shirts causes denigration of deities, thereby hurting the religious sentiments of Hindus.
The HJS has made this demand in the wake of the forthcoming tourist season and the ongoing rampant sale of such T-shirts on various beaches of north Goa, said State convenor of HJS Manoj Solanki. The memorandum said that there is a rampant sale of T-shirts with pictures of Hindu deities printed, on beaches of north Goa like Anjuna, Calangute, etc.
It recalled that the erstwhile Congress Government in the State had imposed a ban on the sale of the said T-shirts vide a notification dated February 24, 2009. Also, HJS had, in the year 2013, again requested the north Goa Magistrate, through a memorandum, to put a ban on the sale of the said T-shirts, to which, it received a positive feedback.
HJS memorandum said that police pointed out that the government notification of 2009 was valid for six months only and the government has not issued any fresh order in this regard. Thus, the police are unable to take any action in this context. Thus, the HJS requested the Magistrate to immediately pass an ordinance banning the sale of the said T-shirts forever, instead of only 6 months, Mr. Solanki