Agartala,Tripura: According to on going news Janajati Suraksha Manch (JSM), a tribal organization backed by RSS, is calling for the removal of Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for tribal individuals who have embraced Christianity in Tripura.The organization is expressing concern about the “significant growth of the Christian population” in Tripura.According to JSM leader Santi Bikas Chakma, they plan to hold a large rally in Agartala on December 25, Christmas Day, to support their demand.Chakma mentioned that the call to revoke the ST status of converted tribal people was initially made in June 1967.
The leader of JSM, citing the census report, highlighted that the Christian population in Tripura has seen a significant rise, growing from only 328 in the 1941 Census to 1,02,489 in 2001 and 1,59,882 in the 2011 census.
The JSM leader pointed out that Kartik Oraon, a prominent tribal leader from Bihar, gathered signatures from 235 MPs and submitted a memorandum to the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in the past. The memorandum urged for a constitutional provision to revoke the Scheduled Tribe (ST) status of those who converted to Christianity. The leader mentioned that this demand also received support from a parliamentary standing committee.