Jangalmahal: In Jangalmahal, West Bengal, a curious development has been heating up the political atmosphere. A section of Santal tribals in the region has "renounced" its citizenship of India and claims to belong to the “Majhi Sarkar” or Majhi Government instead.

These Santals have 'returned' their Aadhar cards, ration cards and voter ID cards to a "Majhi Sarkar" office, which they say is located in Chhattisgarh. Ninety-one of these people are from the Ranibandh block in Bankura, and three from the Bandowan block in Purulia.

They refused to participate in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists, which the Election Commission of India has been rolling out in 12 states and Union Territories, including West Bengal.

The deadline to complete the enumeration of voters for the SIR process in West Bengal was December 11, 2025. By that time, locals and the administration had managed to convince around three dozen of these hold-outs to participate in the process. The remaining 62 people – 59 from Bheduasol village, one from Churku village and two from Harngara village in the Ranibandh block of Bankura district – skipped the enrollment process altogether, making their right to vote uncertain.

Despite block administration and tribal leaders' efforts to convince all 94 people to fill their SIR forms and re-enumerate themselves as voters, they firmly refused. The 32 who relented did so at the very last moment.

The police have arrested three persons in connection with this case: Santosh Mandi from the Raipur block of Bankura district, Bipin Bihari Hansda from the Bandowan block of Purulia and Bhabendra Marandi from Mayurbhanj in Odisha.

The refusal to participate has kept the region on edge through the final days of the SIR. On Tuesday, December 9, a meeting was organised in the Muchikata village of the Raotora gram panchayat in Ranibandh block of Bankura district. It lasted from late afternoon to nightfall, led by Gita Murmu, a middle-aged woman who claimed to represent the “Antarastriya Majhi Sarkar Krishan Soinik Mohila Mandal”, or the woman's wing of the "international Majhi government".

Police also took to patrolling parts of Ranibandh’s Jangal area in response to the refusal. However, none of the 91 from Ranibandh block had submitted their enumeration forms by December 10, a day before the deadline.

What is 'Majhi Sarkar' doing in Jangalmahal?

According to a reliable source, on the night of December 3, 20 people from Jangalmahal, said to be instigators of the idea of a "Majhi Sarkar", drove off in two vehicles from Bankura and Purulia towards Chhattisgarh. These persons, it is believed, were the active campaigners of the 'Majhi Sarkar' idea in Jangalmahal villages.

The activity came to light when on December 1, a group of over 100 Santals from Bheduashol and Muchikata villages in the Raotora gram panchayat gathered at the Ranibandh block office, saying they did not wish to be citizens of India.

Ramjiban Hansda, one of their representatives told The Wire, "The BLO [Booth Level Officer] gave us forms for the SIR, but we did not fill them. The reason is that our rights, as indigenous people, are different – we are the rulers of this land. Residents of the country may need the SIR, but we, the indigenous, original inhabitants, do not. Nor do we need Aadhaar cards, voter ID cards or PAN cards."

Claiming to be a member of the same "international" body, Lakshmikanta Hansda, a resident of Bheduasol, said, “There are two types of governments in this country. One, a democratic one, and the other, the 'Majhi Sarkar'. We are the sons of the soil here. Those who came from outside need Aadhaar cards and voter cards – not us. I had these earlier, but now I realise that I am an indigenous inhabitant of this land. So, I have renounced all such cards."

Baburam Kishku, another member of so-called Majhi Sarkar, claims that in 1951, the Antarrashtriya Samajbadi Majhi Sarkar (International Socialist Majhi Government) was recognised by New Delhi, and that it still exists.

When the proponents of "Majhi Sarkar" sold the idea to the tribals of Bankura and Purulia, they claimed that existing laws would no longer apply to those who become its members. People were also told that a membership card to "Majhi Sarkar" would entitle them to benefits such as bank accounts, school admissions and discounted bus, train and air fares.

Each membership card cost Rs 3,000 or Rs 4,000 – and that is what 247 people in Bankura paid for it. Subsequently, people were told that they would not submit their SIR forms.

Does a 'Majhi Sarkar' exist?

Biblab Saren, a leader of the tribal social organisation Bharat Jakat Majhi Pargana, said no "Majhi Sarkar" exists in the country.

“This [the propaganda about Majhi Sarkar] is to brainwash tribal communities,” said Gangaram Murmu, a director in the Tribal Development Cultural Board of West Bengal and resident of Jhilimili in Raotora. He told The Wire that several villagers claimed to have secured "Majhi Sarkar" identity cards and believed they no longer need any government identity cards. They refused to fill the SIR enumeration forms, he acknowledged, explainign that it was nothing but unscrupulous people taking advantage of their poverty and lack of education.

Also read: The Unholy Nexus of Land, Development and Violence in Bengal

Fact is, a body named "Majhi Sakar" does exist, in Chhattisgarh and elsewhere – though not as a 'government' but as a social movement, with a governance structure dedicated to the tribal community. It was established in 1910 by Hira Singh Dev Kange to demand self-governance for tribals during British rule.

Dev Kange, also known as Kangla Manjhi, was from Bastar in Chhattisgarh. His organisation helped to resolve disputes and conflicts within tribals (without the use of weapons) and raised awareness about their rights and education.

Today, the body holds an annual gathering in Chhattisgarh's Baghmar village (in Balod district), where people pay homage to their founder and discuss the principles of the movement.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, an officer from the intelligence department of Bankura police said that about six months ago, several people from Bankura went to Chhattisgarh. When they returned, they started promoting the tribe's own independent identity. Some of them are former Maoist activists, the officer alleged.

For some observors, the development is reminiscent of the violent episodes that engulfed the region a decade ago.

Bankura's district administration sent officials to Bhediasol, Muchikata, Kawadanga, Gobindashol and Harangora – the villages of the 91 individuals –hoping to persuade them to submit their enumeration forms and assist them with the process. However, none agreed. A family from Karagora village in Kumra grampanchayat, in the Bandwan block of Purulia, also refused to enlist for the voter list revision.

Also read: 'Stop Depriving Us': Jangal Mahal Tribals Demand Action on Fake ST Certificates, Erosion of Rights

The root cause of the problem, if you speak to the tribals of Ranibandh, is that Jangalmahal has been deprived of the fruits of development. Not just that, even the existing facilities, such as schools and hostels, have been shutting down. People The Wire interviewed said that the traditional source of livelihood – small-scale bidi manufacturing – is also drying up.

Residents of this region are not just poor but also marginalised. For instance, government schemes, such as housing, do not reach many tribals. Further, they say their right to use forest produce under the Forest Rights Act, 2006, and grant of land pattas, have come to a standstill. What is more, the youth is forced to migrate in search of work, finding no viable source of income in these villages.

“On the one hand is the state government’s neglect, and on the other, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government, which does not respect our own religion, viewing us as Hindus. How long will we tolerate this humiliation?” said Lakshmikanta Hansda.

On Sunday, December 7, after police arrested three men (mentioned earlier), the menfolk of Bheduasole left their village, returning only on Tuesday. That afternoon, a meeting was organised in Muchikata. Many who had submitted their SIR forms were also present and, initially, prominent tribal residents tried to convince those who were refusing to also join the enumeration exercise. But the efforts failed.

Gita Murmu, who belongs to Odisha, led the meeting late into the night. When she learned about the arrests and the resultant distress among the villagers, she offered them moral support and sympathy. She then reiterated that the tribals, as original inhabitants of Jangalmahal, did not need government identification cards.

When contacted by The Wire, Shubham Mouryo, the Sub-divisional Officer (SDO) of Khatra in Bankura district, where the Ranibandh block is located, said, “We are aware that some individuals have not submitted the SIR forms. We are closely monitoring the situation.”

Meanwhile, until December 10, police patrolled the Ranibandh area all day. The atmosphere remained tense.

(Photos: Madhu Sudan Chatterjee)

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