Chhattisgarh Village Panchayat Bans Christian Burials and Pastors

New Restrictions

At Punpalli village in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district, a new banner prohibits the entry of pastors and bans any events held for religious conversions or other religious activities. The notice follows a list of 12 resolutions passed recently by the village panchayat. However, a separate unwritten resolution has become a source of major worry for the local Christian community. Madkam Bhima, a Janpat member elected from Punpalli, stated that the village will not give any land for burials to tribals who follow Christianity. Bhima noted that a total of four villages in Sukma have made such resolutions so far, starting from Errabore and followed by Polampalli. Punpalli has 21 families with 75 members in total who follow Christianity. If the resolution holds, these families must travel over 13 kilometers to Dhornapal or over 40 kilometers to the Sukma headquarters for burials.

Legal Stance

During an October 2 meeting, the Punpalli Gram Sabha cited the Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas Act, known as PESA, because the village falls under the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution of India. The put-up board stated that the Gram Sabha holds the right to protect its cultural identity, traditions, customs, and social heritage under PESA. The villagers believe that religious conversion activities affect traditional tribal culture and social unity. Meanwhile, advocate Sudeep Shrivastava said that the entry of any Indian citizen cannot be prohibited and that the burial resolution is unconstitutional. Nukesh Baghel, vice president of the Bastar District Rural Christian Service Committee, stated that at least 10 villages in the Bastar region have done this. Nukesh added that some groups are misusing a split verdict by the Supreme Court from earlier this year, where the court ordered an interim stay on the forcible exhumation of tribal Christians. In January, a two-judge bench heard a case where Ramesh Baghel sought to bury his father in his native village in Bastar district. Justice B V Nagarathna pulled up authorities for denying the burial, while Justice S C Sharma stated statutory rules did not permit it, leading Ramesh to conduct the rites in Karkapal under heavy security. Advocate Degree Prasad Chouhan, convenor of the Chhattisgarh Association for Justice and Equality, said they wrote to the Chhattisgarh DGP after the February Supreme Court relief to stop forcible exhumations, but such incidents still occur and will be documented for future court action. Mukund Thakur, CEO of the Zilla Panchayat in Sukma District, stated that the resolution was not on the agenda and that appropriate action will be taken upon receiving a written complaint after checking its legality.

Context

The Fifth Schedule of the Indian Constitution provides special protections and self-governance provisions for tribal-dominated areas in several states, including Chhattisgarh, through laws like PESA. Tensions around religious conversions and traditional tribal customs have increasingly surfaced in parts of central India, involving legal debates over constitutional rights and local governance powers. Community members and legal experts continue to monitor these panchayat resolutions as court proceedings and petitions unfold.