Play store
A village council in India’s Chhattisgarh state has passed a resolution barring the allotment of community land to Christians and converts for churches, prayer meetings and burials.
The resolution was adopted by a special Gram Sabha in Punpalli village of Sukma district in southern Chhattisgarh.
The council also decided to prohibit Christian pastors, preachers and missionaries from entering the village for prayer meetings, religious activities or conversion-related programmes.
The resolution cited Article 244(1) of the Indian Constitution, the Fifth Schedule, the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996, and the Chhattisgarh PESA Rules, 2022, as the legal basis for its decisions.
According to the resolution, no Gram Sabha land would be provided for the construction of churches, prayer or religious meetings, or for burying Christians or people who had converted to Christianity.
Village authorities said the decisions were intended to protect traditional customs, cultural identity and social unity.
A public notice announcing the restrictions has also been put up at the village entrance.
However, the move has raised questions over whether a Gram Sabha can restrict fundamental rights on the basis of religion.
District administrative and police officials have said that a village resolution cannot override constitutional rights and that authorities will take steps to prevent any law-and-order problems.
Punpalli is located in a Scheduled Area, where Gram Sabhas have additional powers under PESA to protect tribal traditions, customs, cultural identity and community resources.
The resolution comes amid continuing tensions in parts of Chhattisgarh over religious conversion and the rights of tribal Christians.
Similar restrictions on Christian pastors and religious activities have previously triggered legal challenges in the state.
