Patna: February 2 (ABN)
A special meeting of Sarva Dharma Manch, Bihar was held at the AN Sinha Institute, Patna on Monday. Considering the current situation, an important decision was made to send representative delegations of the Manch to all districts of Bihar to spread the message of peace, brotherhood, and harmony. The meeting was presided over by Mahant Vijay Shankar Giri of the Badi Patan Devi Temple, Patna City. The meeting also decided to organize a conference in Gaya on February 18 as a public program of the Manch, which will be attended by people from different religions.

Sarva Dharma Manch, Bihar is a joint platform of religious leaders from all major religions, with the primary objective of promoting mutual love, tolerance, and harmony, and making collective efforts to eradicate social evils.

At the beginning of the meeting, Amir-e-Halqa of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Bihar, Maulana Rizwan Ahmed Islahi said that common people give more importance to the words of religious leaders and try to follow their guidance. In such a situation, the visit of Manch delegations to all districts will be an important step towards strengthening social harmony.

On this occasion, Mahant Vijay Shankar Giri of Badi Patan Devi Temple said that Sarva Dharma Manch has been active for the past four years. Now, it is necessary to expand the activities of the Manch, so that it can help in eliminating conflicts and tensions based on religion.

Father James George of Bankipore Church said that such joint platforms are an essential need of the time to bring followers of different religions closer, and the initiative of Sarva Dharma Manch is commendable.

Later, Father Jos, Secretary of Bihar Dalit Vikas Samiti, suggested that a seminar should be organized under the banner of Sarva Dharma Manch in the last week of March to promote peace and harmony, in which scholars from different religions can present research papers on their respective religions. This will provide an opportunity for people to better understand each other's religions and remove mutual misunderstandings.

Bhante Dham Sharan and Bhikshu Uday, associated with Buddhism, expressed their views and said, "Sarva Dharma Manch is a very good platform for peace and harmony, which we wholeheartedly appreciate."

The meeting was also attended by Muhammad Shahzad and Muhammad Shoqat Ali, Secretaries of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Bihar, and Laiq Zaman, Mayor of Patna Big City. Although Tarlok Singh, representative of Sanatan Sikh Sabha, Patna Sahib, was not present in the meeting, he expressed his full support and agreement over the phone for the organization of the program.