Agartala: The Tripura High Court on Tuesday expressed deep concerns about reported instances of religious persecution directed at two Christian families residing in a remote village of the state.
The High Court single bench led by Justice Arindam Lodh also issued notices to the concerned community who had imposed the social and economic blockades on the families.
According to available details regarding the incident, in the village of West Adnancherra in Unakoti district, two families willingly converted to Christianity in November 2022 from Buddhism. However, their decision to embrace a different faith resulted in a never-ending cycle of hostilities from the members of their own community. Families of Tarun Chakma and Purnamoy Chakma had been practically ostracized from the Chakma society.
“They neither had any rights to participate in the social gatherings nor they were allowed to work for a living. Purnamoy Chakma who is a day-wager had been forced sit idle at home as no one was ready to hire him because of the orders passed by the community heads. Tarun Chakma, an auto-driver had no options but take his three-wheeler off road as no passenger was ready to hire him for a ride”, the senior advocate explained.
Any defiance of the directives of the directives imposed as per the customary law is set to invite financial penalties.
Representing both families in the High Court, Bhowmik informed the media that, in an effort to address their predicament, the families had filed two writ petitions with the High Court of Tripura.
These petitions were subsequently heard by Justice Arindam Lodh’s bench, which issued stringent orders and made the state government a party to the case.
The government was directed to investigate the matter and take necessary actions to halt these discriminatory practices. The police were also instructed to take firm measures against those responsible for imposing fines on the two impoverished families, with court-issued notices and the possibility of arrests.
Advocate General Siddhartha Sankar Dey, who appeared on behalf of the state, informed the Court that the state government would comply with the orders. The next hearing of the case is set to take place followed by the Durga Puja vacation.
