Ranchi, Jan. 12: Former MP Salkhan Murmu, known for his strong advocacy on tribal matters, wrote to President Pranab Mukherjee today asking tribals be allowed to keep the bow-and-arrow the same way followers of the Sikh religion keep the kirpan as a symbol of their culture.

Explaining the logic behind his demand, Jharkhand Disom Party chief Murmu pointed out that tribals were often victimised for keeping the bow-and-arrow with them.

"In the wake of recent protests against amendments to Chotanagpur and Santhal Pargana tenancy Acts, Dumka district administration reportedly seized 25,000 bows and arrows from tribal students at Santhal Pargana College in Dumka and slapped cases on them. This is uncalled for and illegal. Tribals have been keeping the bow-and-arrow since ages with them as a mark of tradition. We demand that bow-arrow be accorded the status of a national symbol for tribals of India," ex-MP Murmu told The Telegraph.

On November 28, 2016, Dumka administration raided and sealed eight hostels in and around SP College, whose occupants allegedly took part in arson and violence during the Opposition-sponsored statewide bandh on November 25 against tenancy law amendments. The police arrested four tribals and seized a huge cache of bows and arrows.

Main Opposition party JMM, which has a strong base in Santhal Pargana and uses the bow-and-arrow as their election symbol, had reacted strongly at this development even as chief minister Das thanked Dumka district administration for the "good work".

In his letter to the President, Murmu also requested that the heirs of tribal freedom fighters Birsa Munda and Sido Murmu be given lifelong government aid. "Uprisings of Birsa Munda and Sido Murmu are integral to tribal self-pride. We visited Birsa Munda's ancestral home in Ulihatu, Khunti, and Sido's ancestral home in Bhognadih, Sahebganj. Their heirs are not getting much attention from the government in education, health, employment or security," Murmu, who also happens to be the national president of Adivasi Sengel Abhiyan, said.

Asked, tribal expert and a member of the state's Tribal Advisory Council (TAC) Ratan Tirkey agreed the bow-and-arrow was part of tribal tradition and identity.

"But I don't want to politicise the matter. History suggests tribals fought against the Britishers with bows and arrows. They always protected their jal-jungle-jameen using the weapon. The Constitution and the government came later," he asserted.

Slamming the Dumka administration's seizure of bows and arrows from the college, Murmu said it hurt tribal sentiments.

"Tribals also use these weapons for puja. If there was some apprehension or intelligence report (related to the arms), the administration would have kept tabs," he said.