Khunti: Deep inside Khunti’s forested belt, a section of the Munda community is resisting the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, claiming that their identity predates modern systems of citizenship and documentation.In Barbanda village of Khunti block, members of the group call themselves the ‘AC community’ — AC standing for ‘Ante Christum’ (before Christ). They prefix ‘AC’ to their names to signify their belief that they are among the land’s earliest inhabitants.“We don’t need any documents,” said a resident AC Mangra Munda. “We existed before the birth of Christ. That is why we use AC before our names.”The rejection of electoral paperwork is part of a broader withdrawal from the state’s welfare and identity systems. Residents told TOI they do not possess Aadhaar or other identity documents and do not draw ration benefits.Mud houses with clay-tiled roofs line the hamlet, where daily life centres on farming, forests and traditional practices. Residents grow rice, millets, black gram and vegetables. They largely avoid gadgets, cooking gas and other modern amenities. Men dress in white dhotis with shirts or kurtas and traditional headgear, while women wear white saris. Community members also said they neither smoke nor drink ‘hariya’, the local rice brew.Officials conducting the roll revision said repeated attempts to persuade the residents had made little headway.“They say they will live according to the laws of nature,” booth level officer Dulari Horo said as she made another attempt to collect enumeration forms ahead of Wednesday’s deadline.“The community’s children attend school but do not eat midday meals,” Horo said. “Births generally take place at home, and many newborns are not registered with the authorities,” she added.Khunti Sadar BDO Jyoti Kumari said 27 eligible electors in Barbanda had refused to take part in the exercise. “Across at least 15 booths in Khunti block, nearly 700 people had not submitted enumeration forms,” she said.“They have largely remained outside official welfare and identity systems,” Kumari said.Chief electoral officer K Ravi Kumar said officials would continue reaching out to the residents. “They are Indian citizens, and we will keep trying to motivate them,” he said. “However, if they do not participate in the exercise, their names may ultimately be removed from the electoral roll.”
