Why Adivasis in Jharkhand are agitating over MS Dhoni’s favourite temple

At around 6.30 am on September 5, a group of Adivasis from Deori village in Jharkhand’s Ranchi district locked the gates of the famous Deori Maa mandir for a few hours. They said this was necessary because they had planned a meeting to discuss disputes pertaining to the temple, known as Deori Diri in Mundari, the language of the local Munda Adivasis.

“We had kept a gram sabha meeting later that day and we wanted local shopkeepers and devotees to attend, so we locked the main gate of the temple,” said Kiran Munda who was among the Adivasis.

But the move drew the ire of local Hindu groups, who asked the police and administration to intervene. A few hours later, authorities broke the lock and devotees resumed worship inside the temple. Still irate, the Hindu groups demanded that those involved in locking up the temple be arrested. They called for a bandh in Tamar block, where the village is located, and the neighbouring Bundu block.

The Adivasis insisted that they had no malintent. “We had called the meeting because there has always been confusion about the control of Deori Diri and the administration needs to make things clear,” said Manik Singh Sardar, a community leader of...

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