Ranchi: A panchayat in the district has put up a notice barring Christian pastors from holding meetings, prayer-healing sessions or gatherings that it claimed are linked to religious conversion, triggering administrative scrutiny and raising questions over the scope of powers available to gram sabhas in scheduled areas.Boreya panchayat, comprising Boreya and Sangrampur villages, falls in a scheduled area covered by the Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act, 1996. Mukhiya Soma Oraon said the decision was taken to “protect tribal culture and heritage” and prevent conversions allegedly carried out through inducement.“Our objective is to safeguard tribal customs. We cannot allow pastors to enter villages and carry out wrongful conversions,” Oraon told TOI. He alleged that tribal residents were being lured with promises of material benefits.Oraon cited Section 4 of PESA, which says gram sabhas in scheduled areas are empowered to safeguard traditions, customs, cultural identity, community resources and customary modes of dispute resolution. However, the Act does not explicitly authorise village bodies to ban the entry of any religious group or restrict lawful religious activity.A tribal priest, Vishwakarma Pahan, supported the move, alleging that tribals were “simple people” and vulnerable to inducement. Panchayat officials said a similar board would be installed at Sangrampur.The development comes after Jharkhand moved to operationalise PESA rules this year, decades after the central law was enacted. PESA applies to scheduled areas with significant tribal populations and gives gram sabhas a larger role in local governance.This is the latest in a series of such campaigns in the region. Oraon, associated with the Janjati Suraksha Manch, had earlier supported similar boards in Puriyo panchayat under Ranchi’s Itki block and in Hati village under Lohardaga’s Bhandra block.Oraon said the campaign would be expanded to villages covered under PESA and that seminars would be held on tribal rights, welfare schemes and legal provisions.Ranchi deputy commissioner Manjunath Bhajantri said the sub-divisional officer and local police were asked to examine the matter.
