Ranchi: Hearing on a Public Interest Litigation, the Jharkhand High Court on Friday, August 30 directed the Centre and the state government to file their immediate response on the status of conversion of tribals in the state of Jharkhand.
A bench of Acting Chief Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad and Justice Arun Kumar Rai after hearing the matter passed directives to both Centre and state governments and listed the matter for further hearing on September 5. During the hearing the court was informed by the government counsel that data is being collected at district level of the state with regard to the conversion of tribals.
Earlier, the petitioner’s counsel informed the bench that the “members of tribal community of the state are being lured and misled into conversion. Rampant conversion has been promoted in the state by organising Changai Sabha (A religious gathering associated with Christianity) which tend to misled them into embracing other religion.”
The bench in an oral observation after hearing the petitioner counsel pulled up the Centre and the state government for being quite on to the matter. “Conversion is going on with the help of infiltrators in the state and the government is maintaining silence” observed the bench while expressing disappointment over the response of the state and the Centre.
The bench further observed that other than the current petition filed by Soma Oraon, a similar petition filed by Daniel Danish also exposed the conversion of tribal. The bench instructed both PILs to be tagged and scheduled for next hearing on September 5.
Rampant conversion of tribals in Jharkhand and adjoining states
It must be noted that news pertaining to illegal conversion of tribals in Jharkhand and other adjoining states such as Chhattisgarh and Odisha are keep coming to the fore on regular intervals. Similar revelations linked to illegal conversion have also surfaced in a recent investigation done by a prominent media outlet.
The report published by the outlet has made startling claims linked to the ongoing conversion of the tribals under project Joshua, a research initiative which according to the report has been promoting rampant conversion in tribal belts of central India.
The investigation done by the media outlet has hinted a well-planned ploy behind the surge in conversion cases in the mentioned states. It further disclosed that several villages in Gumla district has become Christian majority and the same has been marked by a wooden cross installed at the entrance of the villages.
Illegal infiltration in Santhal
It is worth mentioning here, that other than the conversion promoted by the mission groups, the tribal community in Jharkhand is also grappling with the challenge of their dwindling population, all due to suspected rise of illegal infiltration as alleged by the opposition leaders, especially in Santhal region.
Though contrary to the claims made by the opposition leaders, the state government led by incumbent Chief Minister Hemant Soren in a reply filed on the issue recently denied any such infiltrators, attracting sharp reactions from the opposition leaders who have been quite vocal with regard to the issue both inside and outside of the state assembly.
हेमंत राज में “घुसपैठिए आपके द्वार, मचा रहे हाहाकार” !
झारखंड हाई कोर्ट की टिप्पणी : घुसपैठ के सहारे झारखंड में आदिवासियों के मतांतरण का चल रहा खेल !
झामुमो-कांग्रेस-राजद सरकार के संरक्षण व वर्ग विशेष के संगठित प्रयासों के कारण आज झारखंड विस्फोटक स्थिति में है … pic.twitter.com/a3tqDhOBYt
— Amar Kumar Bauri (@amarbauri) August 31, 2024
Significantly, the Santhal division of the state shares its border with a few districts of West Bengal adjacent to the Bangladesh border on the other side, allegedly providing a gateway for influx of infiltrators in Santhal division.
Notably many senior leaders of the opposition BJP including the Godda’s Member of Parliament has raised concerns over the alleged infiltration of the Bangladeshi nationals alleging that the intruders have been involved in schemes like converting innocent tribal girls along with encroaching their land as evident by the emergence of Jamai Tola’s across the tribal populated areas of the state.
