Ranchi: In a widespread demonstration of support, thousands of people from the Janjati (Tribal) community took to the streets across various districts of Jharkhand on January 31, advocating for a nationwide delisting initiative throughout Bharat.
Members of the community submitted memoranda to district administrations, urging the State government to address the issue of delisting. In a memorandum addressed to former Chief Minister Hemant Soren, the community members requested the State government to pass a resolution similar to the Sarna religion code and submit it to the Union Government.
Organized by the Jnajati Suraksha Manch, a tribal body primarily associated with the demand for nationwide delisting across Bharat and opposing the illegal conversion of tribals, rallies occurred in 24 districts, including Gumla, Hazaribagh, Simdega, Bokaro, Chatra, and Latehar. Despite administrative issues leading to the cancellation of rallies in Lohardaga and Ranchi, the protests are rescheduled for February 9, according to Sharad Chauhan, the national media convenor of the Janjati Suraksha Manch.
This follows a significant gathering of the Janjati community at the Ulgulan de-Listing maha rally organized by the Janjati Suraksha Manch at Morhabadi Ground in Ranchi on December 24, 2023. The rally saw a robust turnout despite opposition, with community members demanding nationwide delisting.
Soma Oraon, media in-charge of the JSM, shared details of the protest, stating that the memorandum called on the State government to pass a resolution similar to the Sarna Code. This resolution aims to restrict reservation benefits for Janjati members who have embraced other religions, deviating from the community's age-old traditions and worship practices.
The demand for a separate Sarna code in the census religion column has been ongoing, with the Jharkhand government passing a resolution in 2020 for a separate Sarna religion code in the next census. The Chief Minister, Hemant Soren, wrote to Prime Minister Modi, urging the inclusion of the Sarna code in the September 2023 census.
The Janjati community, mainly residing in Jharkhand, has been advocating for a separate Sarna code, emphasizing differences in worship methods from traditional practices prevalent among the Sanatan fold. However, this demand has faced opposition from within the Janjati community, asserting their integral connection to the Sanatan fold.
Additionally, the Janjati community has been vocal against the misuse of reservations exclusively designated for them across Bharat. More than 250 rallies, organized by the Janjati Suraksha Manch in the past two years, have aimed to seek a nationwide delisting exercise to identify those in the community who changed their religion while still benefiting from scheduled tribe or caste certificates.
Ganesh Ram Bhagat, the national convenor of the Janjati Suraksha Manch, has highlighted that the intended benefits of reservation provisions predominantly benefit those who have abandoned traditional practices and converted to other religions. This trend, they argue, deprives the original Janjati community of the intended benefits envisioned by the framers of the constitution.
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