The Arunachal Christian Forum (ACF) has secured a correction to a problem in the State Bank of India’s (SBI) digital banking system that prevented Christian customers in Arunachal Pradesh from identifying themselves as members of Scheduled Tribes (ST).
In a letter to India’s largest state-owned bank on 1 October, the forum raised concerns about the religion and social-category options in SBI’s digital applications in Itanagar, the state capital. It said customers selecting “Christian” under the religion category were automatically placed in the “General” category, without being given the option to declare their ST status.
The ACF said the issue could not simply be dismissed as a technical oversight and expressed concern that the system appeared to misrepresent the status of tribal Christians.
The forum argued that the arrangement interfered with the constitutional recognition of Scheduled Tribes under the Constitution of India and the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950. The order includes a separate list of recognised tribes in Arunachal Pradesh, many of whose members are Christians.
Scheduled Tribe status provides recognised indigenous and tribal communities with constitutional safeguards, affirmative-action benefits and other measures intended to support their development and representation.
Under existing government guidelines, people recognised as members of Scheduled Tribes may follow any religion. Their tribal status is based on membership of a recognised community, not on their religious beliefs.
In its communication, the ACF reminded SBI that it was not authorised to reclassify members of recognised tribal communities as belonging to the General category. It asked the bank to correct the technical problem without delay.
The forum gave SBI 15 days to address the issue, warning that it would consider a boycott of the bank’s branches across Arunachal Pradesh and explore legal action if the problem remained unresolved.
SBI responded before the deadline, informing the forum that its technical team had successfully corrected the error.
Although the matter may initially appear to be a routine banking issue, it has wider implications amid growing tensions over the identity and rights of tribal Christians in India.
One prominent example came on 24 May, when tens of thousands of people gathered in New Delhi for the Janjati Sanskritik Samagam, or Tribal Cultural Conclave. The event, attended by senior political figures including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, was organised in connection with the 150th birth anniversary of tribal leader Birsa Munda.
Among the demands raised at the gathering was a proposed amendment to Article 342 of the Constitution to enable the removal of tribal people who have converted to Christianity or Islam from the Scheduled Tribes list.
Critics accused the Sangh Parivar, the network of Hindu nationalist organisations led by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), of using the event to promote claims that Christianity was undermining tribal cultures, customs, languages and identities.
Tribal rights activists opposed the proposed change, describing the demand as unconstitutional and accusing its supporters of using the anniversary of a respected tribal leader to promote division.
In December 2023, the Adivasi Adhikar Rashtriya Manch (AARM), a nationwide organisation affiliated with the Communist Party of India (Marxist), also raised concerns about efforts to remove tribal Christians from the Scheduled Tribes list. It highlighted campaigns in several states, including Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam and Tripura.
In Tripura, the Janjati Suraksha Manch, a group supported by the RSS, proposed holding a rally on Christmas Day in 2023 to promote the demand. The plan was abandoned following objections from a coalition of organisations working for tribal welfare in the state.
Arunachal Pradesh has also experienced tensions over the relationship between religious affiliation and tribal identity. The Galo, one of the state’s major indigenous communities, has seen growing friction between members who have converted to Christianity and those who continue to follow traditional beliefs.
Christian members of the community had previously taken part in certain tribal festivals while retaining traditional customs. However, some members of the traditional-faith community have increasingly argued that people who adopt another religion, particularly Christianity, should lose the right to claim tribal identity and participate in customary practices.
Such arguments have raised concerns about the constitutional distinction between religious freedom and Scheduled Tribe recognition. The right to practise a religion of one's choice and eligibility for ST status are separate matters under the broader constitutional framework.
Christian members of the Galo community have alleged that the campaign against their participation in customary practices is being encouraged by the RSS and its affiliated organisations.
Against this background, the SBI issue has drawn attention to the potential consequences of linking religious identity with tribal classification. The fact that a public-sector bank’s digital system prevented Christian customers from accurately declaring their recognised social category raised particular concerns.
SBI introduced its banking application in 2017, prompting questions about how the problem remained uncorrected for years and why it took so long for the issue to be brought to the bank’s attention.
Across much of north-east India, tribal communities form a significant part of the population, and many are Christian. Disputes over the relationship between faith, indigenous identity and constitutional protections therefore have implications for the rights and security of tribal Christians, as well as for social harmony in the region.
Based on reporting by UCA News.
