Malkangiri ,20th Oct 2025: A national conference of the Scheduled Tribe Culture Protection Forum was held at the tribal market in Khairput, organized by the Malkangiri District Scheduled Tribe and Tribal Protection Forum. The program was chaired by Balaji Padala, editor of the District Scheduled Tribe and Tribal Protection Forum.
Guests included former Chitrakonda MLA Damfuru Shisha, Balraju Katari of the Gadaba community, Swami Vishwamitra Nandgiri Maharaj, Mukund Majhi, president of the Banda community in the district, Sumit Shisha of the Banda community, Sunadhar Mali of the Mali community, Prashant Beti of the Koya community, and Lakintha Kirsani of the Banda community, among others.
They stated that religious conversion is an anti-national activity and a threat to independence. Earlier in India, Christian missionaries have been converting the simple, innocent tribal and Scheduled Tribe forest-dwelling people through coercion and temptation. The Hindu society has never persecuted any other religious group.
Efforts are being made to stop illegal religious conversions and to preserve the freedom to practice one’s own religion independently. A law has been enacted to protect this right, but there are attempts via the Supreme Court to repeal Section 25 of this law, which opposes religious conversion. This gathering raised awareness among Scheduled Tribe and tribal communities about these issues.
The Scheduled Tribe and Tribal Protection Forum demands that all illegal religious conversions be completely stopped and strict laws be implemented against religious conversion. They further demand that Article 25 of the Constitution be upheld strongly. They also called for strengthening anti-conversion laws already passed in various states and the enactment of similar laws in Odisha, akin to those in Rajasthan, which prescribe up to eight years imprisonment and fines up to 200,000 rupees for illegal religious conversion activities.
It was noted that many Scheduled Tribe members who have converted to Christianity in Malkangiri continue to receive government benefits. The forum demands their identification and strict action against them.
The Hindu society demands complete cessation of religious conversion activities for the protection of Scheduled Tribe and tribal communities.
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