Tribal Leader Requests PM Modi to Announce Sarna Religious Code for Tribals in the Census

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been requested to announce the Sarna religious code for tribals in the census by Salkhan Murmu, a national president of Adivasi Sengel Abhiyan (Tribal Empowerment Campaign) and a former BJP MP from Mayurbhanj, Odisha.

In a letter addressed to the prime minister on Saturday afternoon (in Hindi), Murmu thanked him for designating November 15 as Rashtriya Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas (National Tribal Pride Day) and for touring the birthplace of tribal icon Ulihatu in the Khunti district of Jharkhand, which is the birth anniversary of Birsa Munda.

The letter expresses gratitude to the Prime Minister for proposing Droupadi Murmu, a tribal woman, for the position of President of India.

A distinct Sarna Dharma code is also urged, with the argument that this would "give recognition to the existence, identity, and participation of about 15 crore tribals in India" and that Modi will make history for the tribesmen.

According to the letter, there existed a distinct religion column for indigenous people up to the 1951 census, but the Congress subsequently eliminated it.

Additionally, it claimed that the "BJP is bent upon forcibly converting the tribals into Hindus" and said that, according to the 2011 census, there were more nature-worshiping tribals who practiced the Sarna religion—roughly 50 lakh—than there were Jain adherents—44 lakh.

"The Sarna Dharma Code for the indigenous people is still not recognized by the government, which is an assault on their basic rights as guaranteed by the constitution. Hindus, Muslims, Christians, and other tribal groups in India are forced to convert due to tyranny. The letter asserts that as a consequence, tribal people are compelled to be cut off from their linguistic, cultural, and naturalistic foundations, among other things.

The letter notifies Modi that on November 8 during a public assembly at Ranchi's Morabadi Ground, thousands of tribal people from both India and overseas would band together and speak out in favor of the Sarna Dharma Code.

Additionally, if the distinct religion code is not provided for tribals in the census, it threatens to close roads and trains in areas controlled by tribes on December 8.

In response, it said that tribal people are not included by the Hindu Marriage Act of 1955 and the Hindu Succession Act of 1956, refuting the BJP-RSS's accusation that nature-worshiping tribespeople are Hindus.

"Tribals do not worship idols; they revere the natural world. Among the tribespeople, there is no caste structure. The tribespeople do not believe in heaven or hell. The letter claims that "tribal people are different in their thinking, culture, and behavior."

Tribals contend that if a distinct Sarna religion code were to be used in census surveys, they may be recognized as adherents of the Sarna faith. Tribal organizations have asserted that Sarna adherents would be compelled to either omit the religion column or identify as followers of one of the six designated religions: Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Jain, or Sikh, should the Center remove the “Others” option from the religion column for the upcoming census.

In June of last year, Hemant Soren, the chief minister of Jharkhand, made accusations that the state Assembly had approved a resolution in a special session of Assembly in 2020, requiring the inclusion of the Sarna religious code in the census. The governor then sent the resolution to the center. However, the Center has not made a decision about the matter. In September of last year, he had also sent a letter about this to the Prime Minister.