Current information on the treatment of the Oraon (Uraon) tribe by the authorities in Bihar and on any problems they may face [IND26566.E]

Current information on these topics could not be found among the sources consulted by the DIRB.

However, the following may be of general interest.

The attachment from the Bihar volume of the Encyclopedia of India provides some brief information on the Oraon tribe, which is one of the 30 Scheduled Tribes in Bihar according to India's constitution (Encyclopedia of India 1994, 108).

According to the Reuters and United Press International (UPI) attachments, a Belgian priest and an Indian nun were fined and sentenced to six months imprisonment in the state of Madhya Pradesh for converting Oraon tribals to Catholicism in 1988 without permission from the local authorities (25 Jan. 1996; 30 Jan. 1996).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References


Encyclopedia of India. 1994. Vol. 26. Edited by Majid Hussain. New Delhi: Rima Publishing House.

Reuters. 25 January 1996. BC Cycle. Sanjeev Majupuria. "Indian Court Convicts Two Christian Preachers." (NEXIS)

United Press International (UPI). 30 January 1996. BC Cycle. Amy Louise Kazmin. "Priest, Nun Sentenced to Jail in India." (NEXIS)

Attachments


Encyclopedia of India. 1994. Vol. 26. Edited by Majid Hussain. New Delhi: Rima Publishing House, pp. 108, 116.

Reuters. 25 January 1996. BC Cycle. Sanjeev Majupuria. "Indian Court Convicts Two Christian Preachers." (NEXIS)

United Press International (UPI). 30 January 1996. BC Cycle. Amy Louise Kazmin. "Priest, Nun Sentenced to Jail in India." (NEXIS)

Additional Sources Consulted


Asian Survey [Berkeley, Calif.]. Monthly. September 1996-January 1997.

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1996. 1997.
DIRB. November 1996.

Human Rights Information Package: India.

_____. "India" country file. September 1996-present.

Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) Daily Reports. (Internet)

Human Rights Watch World Report 1997. 1996.

India Today [Delhi]. Fortnightly. September 1996-present.

Journal of South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies [Villanova, Pa.]. Quarterly. Summer 1996-Winter 1997.

SHARENet database.

On-line search of media sources.