GARHWA: Three Korwa tribal families in a Jharkhand village were allegedly fined, caned and made to do sit-ups after a kangaroo court declared them social outcasts for converting to Christianity recently. The incident occurred at Khala village under Dhurki block of Garhwa district on January 22, sources said.
Jaiwardhan Kumar, the subdivisional magistrate of Banshidhar Nagar, confirmed receiving information about the alleged backlash against conversions in the area. “Reports of some villagers being targeted in Khala village have come to my notice, but there is no official confirmation yet. Can’t say anything more before an investigation into the matter is carried out,” he said.
The Korwas are officially categorised as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group. Around two dozen families from both the Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste communities have converted to Christianity in the area over the past year, villagers claimed.
The three Korwa families allegedly targeted for converting were fined Rs 25,051 each, besides being subjected to caning and forced to do 110 sit-ups.
“A priest from Bihar has been staying in a rented accommodation at Dhurki for around a year. It seems he, along with two of his aides, are responsible for the conversions,” Dhurki block pramukh Vinod Korwa said.