Nearly 1.5 lakh people from over 500 tribal communities across India gathered at the Red Fort grounds on Sunday and called for the removal of converted Muslims and Christians from the Scheduled Tribe category.The event, titled ‘Janajati Sanskritik Samagam’, was organised by the RSS-affiliated Janajati Suraksha Manch and allied groups. It was held against the backdrop of the 150th birth anniversary year of tribal icon Birsa Munda. Union home minister Amit Shah was also present at the event.“This cultural programme is aimed at giving a major push to our long-pending demand for de-listing converted tribals from the Scheduled Tribe category. This issue goes back to the time of tribal leader Kartik Oraon ji, who raised it before the then prime minister Indira Gandhi in the late 1960s,” Maalaya Jigdung of the Janjati Suraksha Manch, Assam prant, said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah attends the grand “Janjati Sanskritik Samagam” (Tribal Cultural Conclave) as the chief guest at the historic Red Fort grounds in Delhi
Jigdung said the mobilisation was aimed at building support for a constitutional amendment under Article 342.“This has been one of our oldest demands and the core objective behind the formation of the Janjati Suraksha Manch. Through this programme, we have showcased tribal cultural identity while also strengthening our movement for de-listing,” Jigdung told PTI.
Tribal women participated in large numbers during the tribal cultural procession during the Janajati Sanskritik Samagam
The programme began with cultural processions from five points in Delhi — Rajghat Chowk, Ramlila Maidan, Ajmeri Gate Chowk, Qudsia Bagh near Kashmiri Gate and Shyamgiri Temple near Shastri Park Bus Depot — which later converged at the Red Fort grounds. Participants wore traditional attire, carried tribal flags, and performed folk dances.
Tribal members carrying flags and banners take part in a tribal cultural march at Delhi’s Red Fort during the Janajati Sanskritik Samagam
Groups from Assam, Tripura, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and other regions participated, with organisers calling it the “largest tribal cultural mobilisation of its kind”.Kartik Oraon, former Congress MP and tribal leader from Bihar, had earlier submitted memoranda in 1967 and 1970 seeking removal of Scheduled Tribe benefits for tribals who had converted to Christianity or Islam.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai during the Janjati Sanskritik Samagam, marking the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of tribal icon Birsa Munda, at Red Fort in New Delhi. (PTI Photo)
Balaram Phangcho from Assam’s Karbi Anglong district was quoted by PTI as saying that around 2,000 to 2,500 people travelled from his district.“Those who have converted, especially to Islam or Christianity, should be removed from the Scheduled Tribe category. De-listing should be done through an amendment under Article 342,” he said.Shanti Bikas Chakma from Tripura said the gathering would help protect tribal culture and traditions, adding that people from multiple communities had come together.
