Tribal activists who had threatened self-immolation if Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not make any announcement on the Sarna dharma code during his address in Jharkhand's Khunti on Wednesday have been taken under preventive detention by the state police.

“We have learnt that both the tribal activists — Chandra Mohan Mardi, a native of Peterwar block in Bokaro district, and Kanhuram Tuddu, a native of Sonua block in West Singhbhum district — were taken into preventive detention by the respective district police on Monday late night from their residences. Two other activists, Prithvi Murmu and Vikram Hembrom, have also been detained by Bagbera police in Jamshedpur,” said Adivasi Sengel Abhiyan national president and former BJP MP of Mayurbhanj (in Odisha) Salkhan Murmu.

Modi will visit Ulihatu in Khunti district on Wednesday to pay respect to revered tribal icon Birsa Munda. The tribal activists had threatened self-immolation if Modi during his visit to Ulihatu did not make any announcement on a separate Sarna religion code.

"Notwithstanding such excesses by the police against tribal activists, one of our women activist Premshila Murmu, also a resident of Sonua in West Singhbhum district, has threatened to self-immolate herself near the Birsa Munda statue in Sakchi, Jamshedpur, on Wednesday afternoon if the Prime Minister fails to make any announcement on Sarna dharma code,” Murmu added.

However, later in the evening, Premshila was also taken into preventive custody by Parsudih police.

He also informed that he along with his wife (Sumitra) would undertake a fast between 10am and 1pm near the Sakchi roundabout in protest against the delay in the announcement of the Sarna code. Tribal activists will also stage protests near statues, busts or photos of Birsa Munda at different district headquarters in Jharkhand on Wednesday, his birth anniversary, demanding the announcement of the Sarna code.

Bokaro superintendent of police, Alok Priyadarshi said the tribal activist (Mardi) has been taken under preventive detention and would be released on Wednesday.

“Since he had threatened self-immolation, which is illegal, the police have placed him under preventive detention and would release him on Wednesday evening,” Priyadarshi said.

Tribals in Jharkhand, a majority of whom are Sarna followers and nature worshipers, have been fighting for a separate religious identity in India for decades and in recent years have staged agitations in Delhi and other parts of the country.

The tribals argue that the implementation of a separate Sarna religious code in census surveys would allow the tribals to be identified as followers of the Sarna faith. Tribal organisations have claimed that with Centre dropping the “Others” option from the religion column for the next census, Sarna adherents will be forced to either skip the column or declare themselves members of one of the six specified religions — Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Jain and Sikh.