Christian man unable to bury dad in Chhattisgarh, SC seeks govt’s response

Raipur: A farmer belonging to a Scheduled Caste (SC) community in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar has kept his father’s body in a mortuary for 12 days now after residents in the area opposed the burial of the Christian man in the village graveyard, The Indian Express reported.

Ramesh Baghel has approached the Supreme Court after the ruling by the Chhattisgarh High Court (HC) did not come out in his favour.

The Supreme Court has served a notice to the Chhattisgarh government seeking response on the petition by Monday.

Baghel’s father Subhash, who was a pastor, died from illness on January 7.

Baghel’s grandfather had converted to Christanity over three decades ago like many others in the tribal-dominated village.

Two of Baghel’s relatives including the grandfather were buried in the graveyard in their village of Chhindawada.

‘My father’s last wish was to be buried next to his family members. Everything was peaceful until two years ago when a group of villagers from a strong political outfit started provoking others in our village asking them to socially boycott Christians and stop them from burying bodies in the village’s graveyard for converting to the religion,’ Baghel was quoted as saying.

Baghel claimed that the group stopped another Christian family from burying their dead in the graveyard.

Following the social boycott, labourers refused to work on his farm and they stopped buying things from his decades- old general store forcing him to shut down it, Baghel said.

‘I dropped out of school to support my family, but now both my sources of income are badly affected,’ Baghel was quoted as saying. He accused the police of siding the villagers.

The High Court according to him disposed of his petition, pointing out that allowing his plea might create law and order problems.

The High Court in its order, reportedly, said that ‘As submission of learned counsel for petitioner and claim of petitioner is that he wants to perform funeral rites of his father according to Christian religion, therefore, considering the fact that burial ground/graveyard of Christian community is available in nearby area, it will not be proper to grant relief as sought for by petitioner in this writ petition, which may cause unrest and disharmony in the public at large.’

Meawhile, Lawyer and human rights activist Degree Prasad Chouhan termed it ‘a clear case of discrimination on the basis of religion.’

Chouhan, who is providing legal assistance to Baghel, added that ‘Several such instances have occurred in Bastar region since implementation of Chhattisgarh Panchayat Provisions (Extension of the Scheduled) Rules, 2021, and the state government is fully aware of the situation’.