Tribal Conversion to Christianity: Business or Transformation?

 

Sarna Dharma, Hinduism, Adivasi Identity, Religious Freedom and the Questions Raised by Nisha Bhagat's Death

The debate over religious conversion among India's tribal communities is neither new nor simple. It involves faith, identity, history, dignity, social justice and, at times, allegations of exploitation. But before we discuss conversion to Christianity, we must ask a more fundamental question: who are the Adivasis, what do they believe, and who has the authority to define their religious identity?

The recent death of Jharkhand tribal activist Nisha Bhagat has brought these questions into public discussion once again. Her final Facebook Live reportedly contained allegations concerning harassment, the administration and land related disputes. She had also been associated with questions surrounding tribal identity and religious conversion. The precise circumstances and responsibility for her death must be established through an impartial investigation. Her death should not become an opportunity for political or religious organisations to promote their own narratives.

Yet the questions she raised deserve serious attention.

Understanding Sarna Dharma

Sarna Dharma is an indigenous religious tradition followed by several Adivasi communities, particularly in Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and neighbouring regions. It is deeply connected with nature, forests, rivers, mountains, ancestors and community life.

For many followers, the Sarna sacred grove, often associated with Sal trees, is a place of worship and spiritual significance. Festivals such as Sarhul celebrate the relationship between human beings and nature. Religious knowledge is transmitted largely through oral traditions, customary practices and community institutions.

Unlike organised religions with universally accepted scriptures and central religious authorities, Sarna traditions are diverse. Different communities have their own beliefs, names for spiritual powers, rituals and customary practices.

For many Adivasis, Sarna is not merely a religious label. It represents ancestral memory, cultural continuity and a relationship with the natural world. The demand for a separate Sarna religious code in the Census is therefore not simply an administrative demand. It is also a demand for recognition of an indigenous religious identity.

Are Adivasis Hindus?

This question deserves an honest answer, not a political one.

Adivasi is primarily an indigenous and tribal identity. It is not the name of one uniform religion. Some Adivasis identify as Hindus and worship Hindu deities. Some follow Sarna traditions. Others identify as Christians, while several communities retain their own customary religious practices.

Over centuries, there has also been considerable cultural interaction between Hindu traditions and tribal communities. In some regions, tribal customs and Hindu religious practices have influenced one another. Many Adivasis themselves identify with Hinduism. Their self identification must be respected.

At the same time, it would be historically and culturally inaccurate to declare that every Adivasi is Hindu. It would be equally inaccurate to assume that every Adivasi follows Sarna Dharma.

The important point is that tribal identity and religious identity are not interchangeable. No political party, religious organisation or government should claim exclusive ownership over the identity of Adivasi communities.

The Constitution recognises Scheduled Tribes through Article 342. It does not prescribe a particular religion for them. The demand for a separate Sarna code must be understood in this wider context of cultural recognition and freedom of conscience.

Christianity and Its Arrival in India

Christianity originated in the first century CE in Judea, based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Its central scripture is the Bible, and its mainstream theological understanding of one God includes the doctrine of the Trinity.

The history of Christianity in India is considerably older than European colonial rule. According to Christian tradition, the Apostle Thomas arrived on the Malabar coast around 52 CE. However, the precise date and details of this journey remain subjects of historical debate. The identity of the first Indian convert is also not established with certainty.

Christian communities existed in Kerala long before the arrival of the Portuguese. Later, European missionaries expanded organised missionary activity in different parts of India. The Portuguese arrival in 1498 and the subsequent activities of Catholic missionaries, including Francis Xavier from 1542, formed an important chapter in this history. Protestant missions expanded further during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Missionaries established schools, hospitals, printing presses and institutions of social service. They also translated religious texts into Indian languages. These activities contributed to education and healthcare in several regions, including tribal areas.

However, the history was not free from controversy. Colonial religious policies, coercive practices and episodes such as the Goa Inquisition remain important subjects of historical criticism. It would be wrong, however, to describe the entire history of Christianity in India as either purely charitable or uniformly coercive.

History demands a more balanced assessment.

Why Do Some Adivasis Convert to Christianity?

The reasons for conversion cannot be reduced to one explanation.

For some, conversion is a matter of personal faith and spiritual conviction. For others, Christian institutions have provided access to education, healthcare and social support in areas where the state has historically failed to provide adequate services.

We must also acknowledge the historical experience of discrimination, social exclusion and economic vulnerability among marginalised communities. For some individuals, Christianity has represented dignity, equality, community support and an opportunity to challenge existing social hierarchies.

But there is another side to the debate.

Where religious organisations exploit poverty, illness, lack of education or social vulnerability to secure conversions through force, fraud or unlawful inducement, the matter deserves scrutiny. Humanitarian service must not become a cover for coercion. Equally, providing education, healthcare or relief cannot automatically be treated as evidence of an illegal conversion.

The distinction between genuine service and unlawful inducement must be established through evidence.

A person who converts voluntarily is exercising a constitutional freedom. A person who is manipulated or coerced is entitled to protection. Both principles must be defended without prejudice.

Can an Adivasi Remain Adivasi After Conversion?

This is perhaps the most contested aspect of the debate.

An Adivasi person who becomes Christian does not automatically cease to be a member of their tribal community. Religious conversion does not, by itself, erase language, ancestry, family relationships, customary identity or attachment to ancestral land.

However, conversion can create tensions within communities when religious practices conflict with traditional rituals, ancestral worship or customary institutions. These tensions should not be ignored. They deserve open discussion within Adivasi society.

The answer cannot be to deny anyone the freedom to choose a religion. Nor can it be to dismiss the concerns of those who fear the erosion of indigenous traditions.

Cultural preservation and religious freedom are not necessarily opposing principles. The challenge is to protect both.

What Does the Constitution Say?

Article 25 of the Constitution guarantees freedom of conscience and the right freely to profess, practise and propagate religion, subject to public order, morality, health and other constitutional provisions.

In Rev. Stainislaus v. State of Madhya Pradesh (1977), the Supreme Court held that the right to propagate religion does not include a fundamental right to convert another person by force, fraud or allurement.

Several states, including Odisha and Jharkhand, have legislation regulating religious conversion. Such laws must be understood and applied in accordance with constitutional guarantees. Voluntary conversion cannot be treated as a criminal act merely because someone changes their faith.

There is also widespread confusion about reservation rights. The constitutional position concerning Scheduled Tribes is different from that concerning Scheduled Castes. The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 contains specific religion related restrictions for Scheduled Caste recognition. There is no equivalent general rule automatically extinguishing Scheduled Tribe status merely because a person converts to Christianity.

Eligibility for particular benefits and recognition must, of course, be assessed under the applicable legal provisions and the facts of each case.

Nisha Bhagat: Beyond Religion and Politics

The death of Nisha Bhagat should make us examine the conditions in which tribal activists work and the protection available to people who raise questions about land, identity and administrative functioning.

Her reported allegations concerning harassment, land related disputes and the administration require independent scrutiny. Did she approach the authorities? Were her complaints properly examined? Were there threats that required intervention? Did the police and administration respond adequately?

These questions must be answered through evidence, official records and a transparent investigation.

It would be irresponsible to declare that religious conversion caused her death or that a particular organisation, political party or individual was responsible without established evidence. Equally, it would be irresponsible to use uncertainty as an excuse to avoid examining her allegations.

Jharkhand is governed by a JMM led coalition under Chief Minister Hemant Soren. The state government therefore has a responsibility to ensure that tribal land rights, police protection and administrative accountability are not reduced to election slogans.

Tribal communities have constitutional protections, but those protections mean little if people cannot access justice when their land, livelihood or dignity is threatened.

Is It Faith, Transformation or Business?

The title of this article raises a difficult question. Is conversion a genuine spiritual transformation, or can it become a business built around vulnerable communities?

The honest answer is that different situations exist. Genuine religious conviction deserves respect. Humanitarian service deserves recognition. Cultural preservation deserves protection. Coercion, fraud and exploitation deserve legal action.

The same standard must apply to every religious organisation, whether Hindu, Christian, Muslim or otherwise. No organisation should be above scrutiny, and no community should be subjected to collective suspicion.

We must also resist the political tendency to turn Adivasi identity into a battlefield between religious groups. Tribal communities have their own histories, institutions, languages, struggles and aspirations. Their identity cannot be reduced to a contest over who can claim them.

Ultimately, an Adivasi should have the freedom to follow Sarna Dharma, identify as Hindu, embrace Christianity or retain another customary belief. That freedom must coexist with the right to preserve ancestral culture, protect land and live with dignity.

Nisha Bhagat deserves more than political statements and competing religious narratives. Her allegations deserve a credible investigation, and her death deserves justice.

Faith must be voluntary. Culture must be respected. Tribal land must be protected. And the state must be accountable.

India's constitutional promise is not that every citizen must believe in the same God or follow the same tradition. It is that every citizen, whatever their faith or identity, must enjoy equal dignity, freedom and protection under the law.

 

By Siddhartha Shankar Mishra, Advocate at the Supreme Court of India, and columnist on law, politics, and society.