A forum of indigenous religions in Jharkhand has threatened to protest the celebration of Christmas in the state, according to a report.
Sarna Samiti, an indigenous body, on Nov. 19 accused Christian missionaries from foreign lands of superimposing western culture on theirs by indulging in religious conversions, CIP reported.
Sarna is the name given to local animist religions.
During a recent local meeting, Sarna Samiti said to oppose the local Christians celebrating Christmas this year.
After the state passed anti-conversion laws in August this year, every single Christian missionary work has been targeted treacherously. Any sort of Christian activity, including Bible study or prayer meeting, conducted in the state is now seen under the lens of conversion.
Fr Nicholas Barla, the secretary of the Indian Catholic bishops' Commission for Tribal Affairs said that state passed the anti-conversion and land acquisition bills with an aim to advance division in order to create a vote bank for the national elections of 2019.
He said that Bharatiya Janata Party pictured Christians as enemies because they stood against some atrocities of the government.
When Christians in the state voiced for the indigenous people against the amendment of the land acquisition bill, the state chief Minister Raghubar Das blamed the Christian community for inflaming the protest and said that Christian missionaries' motive behind all such moves is to convert the poor natives to Christianity.
