Raipur
Tension prevailed in Bade Tewda village of Amabeda area in Kanker district after violent clashes broke out between tribal groups and members of a converted community over the burial of a villager. Protesters set fire to two churches and damaged the house of the village sarpanch on Thursday.
The conflict began following the death of Chamra Ram, father of village sarpanch Rajman Salam. The sarpanch, who had converted to Christianity, buried his father within the village premises at 7 am on 16 December. Local tribal residents opposed the move, alleging that the sarpanch used his position to bypass traditional customs and village protocols regarding burials.
The situation escalated on Thursday when tribal groups attempted to drive away members of the Christian community with sticks. This led to violent retaliation, with both sides engaging in a physical confrontation. An angry mob of over 3,000 people gathered in Amabeda, setting fire to a village church and later another structure in the vicinity.
Police resorted to a lathi charge to disperse the crowd as they moved toward a third church. Several villagers, media persons, and Antagarh ASP Ashish Banshod sustained injuries in the violence.
Following two days of protests and demands by tribal groups to remove the body from the grave, a joint team of the police and district administration exhumed the remains on Thursday under heavy security. Health department officials later transported the body to Raipur.
The village has been sealed and turned into a police camp to prevent further escalation. Entry for outsiders is restricted, and senior officials are monitoring the situation as both communities continue to hold internal meetings with their supporters.
Tribal leaders maintained that the burial violated long-standing social traditions and PESA Act provisions that empower gram sabhas to protect local culture. “The burial was conducted without village consent and bypassed established rules. We demand that last rites be performed according to traditional customs,” a local resident said.
In contrast, members of the converted community stated that the funeral was conducted according to their religious beliefs and denied any irregularity.
The incident follows a series of disputes over religious conversion in the region. Residents of 14 villages in Kanker, including Jamgaon, have recently installed boards banning the entry of pastors to protect their indigenous culture.
The Chhattisgarh High Court previously dismissed a petition challenging such decisions by gram sabhas, observing that measures taken to prevent forced conversion and protect local traditions under the Fifth Schedule and PESA Act are not unconstitutional.
An alert has been issued across Amabeda, Bade Tewda, Narharpur, Surhi, Dudhawa, Charama, Bhanupratappur, Kanker, Kondagaon, Dhamtari, Sihawa, and Nagri.
