Sati-Pati cult comes into focus again

Vadodara: The arrest of Babita Kachhap from Jaldada village in Santrampur taluka of Mahisagar district has once again brought to focus the Sati-Pati cult in the state. The cult stays aloof from the government and administration and its staunch followers do not even hold government identity cards or ration cards.
The cult has its root in south Gujarat, but has some following in pockets of central Gujarat too.It had made its presence felt about a year back in July 2019 when its members tried to take control of some forest land in Godhra taluka of Panchmahal district by fencing it.
When the forest officials reached the spot, a ruckus took place and some officials were injured. An offence was registered and over 70 persons from central as well as south Gujarat were arrested.
While boards of the cult can be seen on some houses in the tribal heartland of the state, the incident near Godhra was the first of its kind in the central Gujarat. Sources said that the attempt to take over the land had its root in the fact that the Sati-Pati cult believes that natural resources including land were their right and were handed over to them by Queen Victoria before independence.
The group does not believe in the present system of governance. The activity of the cult in the region has been known and under the radar of the police as well as intelligence officials.
Tribal activist Praful Vasava, who founded the Indigenous Army of India, said that the group has some pre-independence documents, and hence believes that they are the real owners of the country. Vasava also said that it was wrong to connect the Pathalgadi movement with Naxalism. “The present government in Jharkhand has even dropped cases regarding Pathalgadi movement. The ATS must come up with more details and clarity,” he said.