On May 24, lakhs of members of Scheduled Tribe communities from across India gathered at the Red Fort in New Delhi. They were there for the Janjati Sanskritik Samagam, or “tribal cultural confluence”. It had been organised by the Janjati Suraksha Manch, or “tribal protection forum”.
The event was ostensibly being held to celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of the revolutionary Adivasi leader Birsa Munda. Publicity material also stated that it was intended to call for the preservation and protection of tribal culture and identity.
That the event had the Indian government’s approval was apparent from the fact that its chief guest was Home Minister Amit Shah. In his speech on the occasion, Shah likened the event to the Ulgulan, Birsa Munda’s revolt against exploiters from outside the region to which he belonged, in present-day Jharkhand. “This andolan will connect us to the earth, save our culture and unite our religion,” Shah said.
What had not been spelt out in promotional material was the specific demand at the heart of this call for protection: that tribals who converted to Christianity should lose their status as tribals.
Organisers that Scroll spoke to admitted this plainly, as well as the fact that they chose not to centre this agenda in publicity material. “We couldn’t have an...
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