* AIPF Leaders Submit Memorandum at Rashtrapati Bhavan
New Delhi, (Asian independent) : On the issue of including a ‘Tribal Religion Code’ in the Census scheduled to begin this year in the country, leaders of the All India People’s Front (AIPF) today submitted a memorandum addressed to President Droupadi Murmu at the President’s Secretariat in New Delhi. The memorandum, submitted by AIPF founding member Akhilendra Pratap Singh and National President S.R. Darapuri, was handed over at the President’s Secretariat by AIPF National Treasurer Dinkar Kapoor and National Executive Committee member Rajesh Sachan. The memorandum stated that more than 120 million tribals live across the country. The religious beliefs, worship practices, social structure, traditions, language, dialect, and cultural life of these communities are distinct, independent, and unique from other major religions of India—Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Jainism, and Buddhism. Essentially, they are nature worshippers. This has been confirmed in various orders of the Supreme Court. In the case of Madhu Kishwar vs. State of Bihar, the Supreme Court clearly stated that Tribals are not a “Hindu sub-group,” but an independent community with its own traditions and legal identity. Article 25 of the Constitution itself grants Tribals the freedom to practice their own religion. Article 366 provides constitutional recognition to the definition of Scheduled Tribes, which indicates that theTribal community is a distinct social class with a separate identity. The Fifth Schedule acknowledges the socio-cultural distinctiveness of Tribal society and provides special constitutional protection for them. Section 2(2) of the Hindu Succession Act also distinguishes Tribals from Hinduism. It was brought to the attention of the President that a code for Tribal religion existed in the Censuses conducted in India from 1851 to 1951, which was removed in the 1961 Census. Various Tribal and democratic organizations across the country are demanding the inclusion of a Tribal Religion code in the Census. In this situation, a request was made to the President to kindly issue necessary instructions to the Government of India and the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, so that a separate religious code for ‘Tribal Religion’ can be included in the upcoming census. This decision will not only restore constitutional justice but will also protect the identity, dignity, and rights of millions of Tribal citizens.
Dinkar Kapoor
National Treasurer, All India People’s Front.
Mobile Number: 9450153307
