Massive rally on anti-conversion organised in Guwahati

Guwahati: A massive rally on anti-conversion and delisting of ST status possessed by the converted individuals was organised in the city on Sunday, where over 55,000 tribal people from 30 districts of Assam participated. Organised by Janajati Dharm-Sanskriti Suraksa Manch (Assam), the rally titled ‘Chalo Dispur’ witnessed the participants wearing traditional dresses and carrying folk musical instruments.
At the beginning, tribal rituals were performed by Boro, Karbi, Tiwa, Dimasha, Rabha and Mising people, following which JDSSM president Bogiram Boro hoisted the flag. More than ten tribal folk dance troops performed their original folk dances during the program. It was also graced by a number of nationally acclaimed personalities like Surya Narayan Suri (Akhil Bharatiya Sangathan Mantri- Janajati Suraksa Manch), Satyendra Singh (JSM central observer), Prakash Singh Uikeji and Ravindra Uike (executive members of JSM) etc.
Community speakers like Babita Brahma (Boro), Pratap Terang (Karbi), Tarun Chandra Rabha (Rabha) and Kameswar Pator (Tiwa ) also delivered speeches on conversion taking in the respective tribal communities. They all agreed the initiative to prevent unethical conversion and also the demand for amending Article 342 for ST and equalize with Article 341 for Scheduled Caste (read if any SC person converts to any other religion, he/she should be automatically delisted from the reservation parameter).
“The objective of the tribal rally was to insist on delisting the converted ST families, who have completely given up their original tribal culture, customs, rituals, traditions and their original way of life after the conversion. We are also sending separate memorandums to the President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi via Assam Governor  Gulab Chand Kataria,” said Manturam Kohram, convener of JDSSM.