A 51-member delegation from the Santhal tribal community’s Marang Buru Bachao Sangharsh Samiti met Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Monday, presenting a memorandum demanding official protection and management rights over their ancient pilgrimage site, Marang Buru (Parasnath Hill).
Highlighting their customary rights under historic tenancy laws and forest rights legislation, the delegation sought legal recognition, local governance control, and removal of unauthorized constructions, while pressing for a dedicated tribal religious site protection law.
The delegation handed over a memorandum demanding official recognition of Marang Buru as a Santhal religious site, along with the devolution of management, supervision, and monitoring responsibilities to the local Gram Sabhas under the provisions of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006.
Citing their customary rights entrenched through the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act, 1908, various land surveys, and judicial rulings including those of the Patna High Court and Privy Council, the Santhals stressed that the hill has been worshipped as a divine entity since time immemorial.
They appealed to the Jharkhand government to enact a dedicated tribal religious site protection legislation, safeguarding Marang Buru and other tribal sacred places such as Lugu Buru, Atu/Gram, Jaher Than (Sarna), Majhi Than, Masna and Hardgadi.
The memorandum also criticised the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change’s August 2, 2019 notification declaring Marang Buru an Eco Sensitive Zone without Gram Sabha consent, terming it unconstitutional and demanding its withdrawal. The delegation further alleged illegal constructions by the Jain community, including monasteries and dharamshalas, on forest land within the site, and sought their removal.
The Santhals requested that the Marang Buru Yug Jaher and Waha-Bonga festivals, celebrated during the third day of the spring season (Phagun Shukla Paksha Tritiya), be accorded official state festival status to honour their cultural significance.
Present at the meeting were State Minister Fagu Besra, Santhal scholar and writer Bhogla Soren, and Ram Lal Murmu, president of the Marang Buru Bachao Sangharsh Samiti. Intellectuals from Jharkhand, Odisha, Bengal and Chhattisgarh were also part of the delegation, signalling a pan-regional solidarity for tribal cultural preservation.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren assured the delegation of appropriate legal and administrative action in response to their demands, reaffirming the government’s commitment to tribal rights and cultural heritage.
The issue highlights the complex interplay between environmental regulation, tribal customary rights, religious sentiments and land management.
With the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act mandating Gram Sabha participation in such decisions, the delegation’s call for devolving authority to local governance structures underscores the growing demand for indigenous control over sacred spaces.