The Government in 2017 introduced the anti conversion bill inviting wrath and criticism from Opposition parties and social activists claiming that it is an attempt to divide the tribal community between tribal Sarna and tribal Christian.
The Jharkhand Freedom of Religion Act 2017 mandates four years’ jail or a Rs 1-lakh fine or both for people and organisations converting women, minors and people from the Dalit and tribal communities through inducement or blackmail.
For forced conversion of adult males from other communities, the jail term will be three years and the fine, Rs 50,000. Those seeking voluntary conversion would need permission from the deputy commissioner, who will first examine the circumstances of the conversion.
Sources said both the ruling party and Opposition parties are going to voters with their argument, which is for the anti-conversion and those opposing it. Twenty seats going to poll in second phase of election are mostly reserved seats with 16 seats reserved for tribals. In these tribal reserved many of these have sizeable population of Christian with anti conversion bill being an important poll issue.
Noted social activist and Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (P) candidate Dayamani Barla from Khunti said, “Apart from Jal Jungle and Zameen, anti conversion is also poll issue in many constituencies where tribals Christian have a sizeable population.”
She added, “Tribal communities feel that there is an attempt by BJP/RSS to divide the tribal community.”
Echoing the views of Dayamani Barla, a senior management executive working for years in State’s tribal belts said on the condition of anonymity, “The BJP/RSS has entered the rural hinterland creating a divide in tribal communities between Sarna and Christian tribals. This division is disturbing the social fabric of people in rural areas.”
The executive further said, “Such division was not existent in Jharkhand around 10 years back as people from Sarna and Christian tribal communities used to participate in the social and cultural functions of each other. But now this has stopped.”
According to the official, it is not the Roman Catholic Mission, which is in conversion business, but small churches who don’t have any link with Roman Catholic are directly and indirectly converting people from marginalised section of society to Christian luring people either by money or by force.
However, a BJP leader requesting anonymity said, “The Tribal Christian are eating away our share in government jobs as Scheduled Tribes reservation is mainly consume by them, while on other hand the Sarna tribals are still living a pitiable condition.”
Constituencies such as Simdega, Kolebira, Torpa, Khunti, Ghatsila, Potka, Sisai and Mandar have sizeable population of tribal Christian and can decide the fate of candidates.