If the resolution holds, the families will have to travel over 13 kilometers to Dhornapal for burials or to Sukma headquarters, which is over 40 kilometers away.

Bhima said that till now, a total of four villages have made such resolutions in Sukma, including Punpalli.

“It started from Errabore a few months ago followed by my village Polampalli. It will be done gradually in all villages,” he said.

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This village has only 21 families with 75 members in total who follow Christianity. If the resolution holds, the families will have to travel over 13 kilometers to Dhornapal for burials or to Sukma headquarters, which is over 40 kilometers away.

When asked if the diktat had a legal basis, Bhima said, “Yes, we are adhering to the PESA law. We are not violating any law.”

During the October 2 meeting, the Punpalli Gram Sabha cited the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA), as the village is covered under the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution of India, as it passed the resolution.

The board that was put up soon after read: “According to PESA, the Gram Sabha has the right to protect its cultural identity, traditions, customs and social heritage. The villagers believe that activities related to religious conversion through inducement, pressure or any other means affect our traditional tribal culture, social unity and cultural identity. Therefore, it has been decided that any event related to religious conversion by outsiders, religious preaching whose objective is to convert people to another religion will not be acceptable…”

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However, advocate Sudeep Shrivastava, who has been raising such issues in the region, said, “The entry of any Indian citizen in a village cannot be prohibited. A person can profess his religion in any village. As far as others joining his prayers is concerned, the villagers have the right to voluntarily do so. If there is a resolution that says land will not be given for any person living in the village, who professes Christianity, for burials, it is unconstitutional.”

Nukesh Baghel, vice president of Bastar District Rural Christian Service Committee, said, “This is at least the 10th village in Bastar region which is doing this.”

‘Top court’s split verdict being misused

Nukesh said some groups have been misusing the split verdict by the Supreme Court in a burial rights case earlier this year.

“The Supreme Court, in February, had ordered an interim stay on forcible exhumation of tribal Christians. Following this, villagers are not allowing us to bury the bodies in the first place,” Nukesh added.

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In January 2025, a two-bench judge was deciding a case wherein Ramesh Baghel, son of a deceased Christian pastor from Chhattisgarh, was seeking to bury his father’s body in his native village in Bastar district.

While Justice B V Nagarathna pulled up the gram panchayat authorities for denying the man a burial in the tribal-majority village, and allowed Ramesh to do so in his private agricultural land, Justice S C Sharma was of the view that the statutory rules did not permit this and said the burial should be conducted at a common designated burial ground designated for Christians of three-four villages in Karkapal. Baghel had to carry out the burial rites in Karkapal under heavy security.

“The right-wing workers have made a team, which is going to villages where tribes and tribal Christians are living in peace. They provoke the tribals and get them to pass such resolutions, misusing the split verdict,” said Nukesh.

“Soon after the SC’s interim relief in February, we wrote to the Chhattisgarh DGP, requesting implementation of the top court order that forcible exhumation of bodies should not happen but it still takes place. We are documenting all these instances and will approach the court in the matter again,” said advocate Degree Prasad Chouhan, convenor of Chhattisgarh Association for Justice and Equality.

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When contacted about the resolution, Mukund Thakur, CEO Zilla Panchayat, Sukma District, said, “It was not in the agenda. If I receive a written complaint, I will take appropriate action after checking the legality of the matter as per the applicable rule.”