‘No land for Christian burials’: In Chhattisgarh, gram sabha resolution raises concerns

In Chhattisgarh's Sukma district, a new resolution from the Punpalli village gram sabha is causing concern among the Christian community. The resolution prohibits the village from providing land for burial sites for Christians, who make up only 21 families with 75 members in total. The village, with a population of 2,000 residents, has recently passed 12 resolutions.

If the burial resolution holds, families would have to travel over 13 kilometers to Dhornapal or 40 kilometers to Sukma headquarters for burials. The gram sabha cited the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA) as the legal basis for the decision, as the village falls under the Fifth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.

However, some experts argue that this resolution is unconstitutional as it prohibits entry for any Indian citizen professing Christianity in the village. The issue has been raised by advocate Sudeep Shrivastava, who believes the right to profess one's religion in any village should be protected. Nukesh Baghel, vice president of Bastar District Rural Christian Service Committee, claims that this is the 10th village in the Bastar region implementing such rules.

The misuse of the Supreme Court's split verdict in a burial rights case is also being discussed, as it has led to villagers refusing to allow burials in their village.