Ranchi
Hundreds of tribals took out a Jan Akrosh Rally and congregated at Giridih’s Madhuban police station grounds, on Tuesday, demanding that the Parasnath Hills be made a pilgrimage centre for its community too just like that done for the Jains. They also demanded a revocation of the blanket ban on certain activities like animal sacrifice which are part of their customs and religious practices. The district administration deployed heavy police force to prevent any untoward incident even as the protestors burnt effigies of the Prime Minister, Jharkhand Chief Minister and local Giridih MLA.
The tribals have contended that the entire mountain range is their Marang Buru (Mountain God). Worshipping the mountain range, hunting animals in the forests around and offering sacrifices to the deity are their traditional ritual since ages, they argued. They said restrictions are being imposed on the tribals living even in villages 10 kilometres away. The Hills are for Santhal tribals what the Ayodhya Ram Temple is for Hindus, the Vatican is for Christians and Mecca Madina is for Muslims, former BJP MP Salkhan Murmu told The Indian Tribal, adding our worship rituals itself start by invoking Marang Buru.
The tribals’ move follows the Union Environment Ministry’s recent stay on all tourism activities on the Hills and the direction to the Jharkhand Government to strictly enforce the existing ban on sale of liquor, intoxicants and non-vegetarian food in the Parasnath Wildlife Sanctuary area.
The Ministry took the decision owing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention after the Jain community took to the streets to protest the Jharkhand government’s 2019 notification to turn Parasnath Hills as a tourism hub saying it would violate the sacred site’s sanctity be preserved. Two Jain monks have seen died due to their fast-unto-death protest.
Jharkhand Bachao Morcha chief Lobin Hembrom, who is leading the tribals’ protest, said they will also observe day-long fast at Birsa Munda’s birth place Ulihatu in Khunti district on January 30 if their demands are not met by January 25. Another protest at Boghnadih (Sahebganj) will be held in February, he said adding long-term peaceful protest campaigns across the State and country too are being worked out.
Incidentally, Hembrom is an MLA of the ruling JMM. Though he hasn’t officially quit the JMM, he recently floated the Morcha after picking up differences with Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who also happens to be the JMM executive president. Their war of words, on wide ranging issues, has often made headlines.
Citing documentary evidences, including an order passed by the Privy Council of colonial era and the District Gazetteer of Hazaribagh, Hembrom argued that these mountains belong to the Santhals and they have peacefully been living there since ages. The Jain seers came much later, he claimed.
“We helped these seers to smoothly perform their spiritual exercises and attain enlightenments and they also never interfered with our traditional customs and rituals. We carry the ailing seers and pilgrims on our ‘palkis’ and shoulders besides extending them other logistic support even today. The Digambars move around without clothes, but we never object to it. Then, why suddenly, they have begun objecting to our traditional customs and traditions,” Hembrom argued.
“The Jain community is against animal sacrifice while we are worshippers of Shakti. We sacrifice animals as per our customs on important occasions,” he pointed out.
JMM general secretary-cum-party spokesman Supriyo Bhattacharya admitted that the entire Jhumra Pahad range was sacred place of worship of the tribals. But, in the same vein, while he said that Lobin Hembrom was airing his personal views and that the JMM was nowhere involved, he pointed out that the entire controversy was the outcome of the notifications of the BJP government.
Located in the Parasnath Hills in Giridih district, Shri Sammed Shikharji , some 160 km from the state capital Ranchi, is a devout Jain site for both the Digambaras and Shwetambars sects and vital to the community history as 20 of the 24 Jain tirthankaras attained ‘moksha’ (salvation) in here. Every year, thousands of Jains from across the world undertake the 27-km-long trek of climbing the hills to reach the summit that houses the salvation shrines of 20 Tirthankaras
In August 2019, the Union Environment Ministry had notified an eco-sensitive zone around the Parasnath Sanctuary and approved eco-tourism activities in pursuance of the proposal submitted by the then BJP government led by Raghubar Das.
“The state government is directed to immediately take all steps necessary to strictly enforce the provisions of clause 7.6.1 of the Management Plan of the Parasnath Wildlife Sanctuary which protects the whole Parasnath Hill; categorically prohibiting amongst others, activities such as the selling of liquor, drugs, and other intoxicants,” the Ministry’s latest memo said.
The implementation of the management plan will prohibit loud music or use of loudspeakers; defiling sites of religious and cultural significance such as sacred monuments, lakes, rocks, caves, and shrines; damaging flora or fauna; causing environmental pollution; committing injurious acts to forests, water bodies, plants, animals, or disturbing the natural tranquility of such sites; coming with pet animals; and unauthorised camping and trekking on the Parasnath Hills.
