The historic Mangarh Dham — sometimes referred as ‘Adivasi Jallianwala’ that saw the massacre of hundreds of Bhil tribals at the hands of the British in 1913 — in Rajasthan’s Banswara district “does not retain the archaeological characteristics, authenticity and integrity required” for declaration as a monument of national importance, the Union Ministry of Culture said on Monday.Responding to a Parliamentary question by Lok Sabha MP and Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) chief Hanuman Beniwal, the Union minister for Culture and Tourism, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, acknowledged that “reference/representations to declare Mangarh Dham as national monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act (AMASR Act,1958) were received in the past” by the culture ministry.However, no such proposal is under consideration as “based on the site inspection, it has been observed that the site has undergone substantial modern development and construction,” he said. “Owing to these extensive modern interventions, the site does not retain the archaeological characteristics, authenticity and integrity required for declaration as a monument of national importance under the provisions of the AMASR Act,” he added.Condemning the reply, Banswara MP Rajkumar Roat termed it “an insult to the sacrifice of 1,500 adivasis.”Hundreds of Bhil tribals were killed by British forces on November 17, 1913, in the hills of Mangarh on the border of Rajasthan and Gujarat. As per then Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in August 8, 2022, 1,500 tribals were killed in the massacre.Although the killings took place six years before the Jallianwalla Bagh incident in Amritsar, the scale of the massacre led many to refer to it as “Adivasi Jallianwala.”The site is revered as a sacred place by Bhils from four states — Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra – and is a key element of tribal identity that both the major national political parties have been attempting to harness. In fact, the tribal identity centred around Mangarh Dham was the key reason behind the rise of the Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) and then its offshoot Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP) – which was formed a few months before the 2023 Assembly elections in Rajasthan — with the tribal leaders envisioning a Bhil Pradesh being carved out of roughly 39 districts spread over four states. Sixteen of these districts are in Gujarat, 10 in Rajasthan, seven in Madhya Pradesh, and six in Maharashtra.Story continues below this adFor the BTP, which was formed in 2017 in Gujarat, the creation of a separate ‘Bhil Pradesh’ has been one of the main objectives.‘Step-motherly treatment’Talking to The Indian Express, BAP national president Mohan Lal Roat said, “First, the historians suppressed the contributions of the Adivasis’ struggle for the country’s jal, zameen, jangal (water, land and jungle). The same policy is being adopted by the BJP, which now considers the Adivasi struggle as a ‘waste’.”He said, “If the people who speak Gujarati can have a separate state on the basis of their language, why can’t the people who speak ‘Bhili’ have a state of their own?”He said, “We oppose it (Shekhawat’s reply) and we will inform our people; our sacrifice is known to the world but even today, the BJP still has heen bhavna (feeling of inferiority) towards the adivasis. All the four states concerned have a BJP government; if they are indeed well-wishers of the tribal community, then the (BJP) MLAs and the MPs of the region should give a representation to the Centre in this regard.”Story continues below this adCondemning Shekhawat’s reply in the Parliament, MP Roat said, “The manner in which the Union minister has replied is an insult to the sacrifice of 1,500 adivasis. The BJP couldn’t give (them) respect, but the manner in which they have rejected the ‘authenticity and integrity’, they have hurt the sentiments of not only the adivasis but of all the communities of the region who place their faith in the Dham.”Accusing both the Congress and the BJP of having used Mangarh Dham and the sacrifice of the adivasis as an “emotional” vote bank, the Parliamentarian said, “They choose Mangarh for their big political rallies… The reply shows the step-motherly treatment.”According to BTP Rajasthan president Dr Velaram Ghogra, Bhil social reformer and spiritual leader Govind Guru had first raised the demand for a separate state for tribals back in 1913 after the Mangarh massacre.While Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s last visit to Mangarh Dham was in August 2023, PM Modi called on the site in November 2022. Before that, in May 2022, then Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Culture, Arjun Ram Meghwal, had said that “Mangarh Dham will be declared a national monument by the central government under the successful leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.”