Tribal representatives from across India gathered at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi on 7 July demanding the right to choose their tribal or aboriginal religion in the census, which is expected to be carried out in 2024, and other forms such as those relating to school admissions and birth certificates.
The protesters comprised almost 1,000 indigenous people (commonly known as ‘Adivasis’) who belong to the Santhal tribe, which is one of the largest tribes in India. They demanded that the central government in Delhi recognise 'Sarna' as a religion. In the Santhali language, 'sarna' means place of worship.
An estimated 120 million people belong to different indigenous groups in India, the majority of whom adhere to a form of totemism in which humans are said to have kinship or a mystical relationship with a spirit-being such as an animal or plant. Historically, the majority of these groups would mark their religion as ‘other’ in India’s national censuses, but this category was dropped in 2011, leaving members of these communities either unable to specify their religion altogether or to choose from the other six categories which are Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jain, Muslim and Sikh.
The Santhals have been threatening to boycott the census if their religion is not included. The recent protest was timed to coincide with the anniversary of the 1855 Santhal rebellion against the British tax regime and colonial rule, and to ensure their enumeration in the upcoming census.
Dr John Prasad, an anthropologist and the Director of the Centre for Peace Studies, Madras Christian College, told CSW: "Santhals are one of the tribal groups and what they claim will apply to all tribal groups in India. None of them are Hindus. But our census does not have a category to include their religion. They are simply listed as Hindus, without their concurrence. They have nothing to do with Hinduism. They do not follow any Hindu scripture, or any Hindu guru. Their faith has no similarity to any of the eight Hindu Philosophical schools. They do not worship idols or any of the Hindu deities. They do not have any temples. They do not have caste system and do not have priestly classes such as Brahmins."
CSW’s Founder President Mervyn Thomas said: "CSW calls on the Indian government to include every religion or belief in the country’s upcoming census. No individual should be forced to identify as belonging to a religion they do not adhere to. The demands of indigenous communities must be listened to and acted upon.”