‘Uniform civil code a threat to existence of tribals’

Representational Image. Pic/iStock

Chhattisgarh Sarva Adivasi Samaj (CSAS), an umbrella body of tribal groups in the state, on Tuesday said the central government should not be in a hurry to implement the uniform civil code (UCC). The UCC will affect the tribal society's own specific customs and traditions, which have existed for centuries, resulting in a threat to the identity and existence of tribals, said its chief.

CSAS president and former Union minister Arvind Netam said his organisation does not completely object to a common civil law, but the Centre should take everyone into confidence first. He, however, said it seems impractical to implement the UCC in a tribal society.

The UCC aims to enact a common law related to birth, marriage and property rights. The tribal community is governed by its customary laws in matters of birth, divorce, partition, succession, inheritance, land and property and this is its identity, which is different from the rest of the castes, communities and religions, he said. Citing examples, Netam said in tribal society, women have freedom to marry multiple times after leaving the incumbent husband and they don't have the right to ancestral land.

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