Tribal leader Nisha Bhagat has allegedly died by suicide on Friday in Jharkhand’s Ranchi.
Nisha Bhagat was originally from Gumla district and belonged to the Oraon tribal community. She was known for working on the rights, identity, culture and traditions of tribal people. Her father, Handu Bhagat, was an activist linked to the Jharkhand movement. His role in that movement and in the struggle for tribal rights left a deep mark on her. After finishing school, Nisha Bhagat studied hotel management in Durgapur and later worked in Bengaluru. She eventually left that job to focus on issues of identity, culture and rights within the tribal community. Tribal identity and rights were at the heart of her work. She regularly spoke up for the demand for a ‘Sarna Religious Code’ and for the protection of jal-jangal-zameen (water, forests, and land). She also raised the implementation of the CNT-SPT Acts and the PESA Act, and the preservation of tribal culture and traditions. She spoke publicly as well on religious conversion and ‘delisting. She argued that people who have converted to another religion should not receive the benefits of tribal reservation. She put this view forward on public platforms and led awareness campaigns within the tribal community.
In the video, which runs for about 10 minutes, Nisha Bhagat speaks about her work for tribal society. In December 2025, Nisha Bhagat shaved her head to protest against religious conversion and ‘delisting.
She says she kept fighting to protect her community but felt that nothing was changing. She also says she had tried to raise her security with the administration, and claims the administration had failed. At one point, she says she felt that nobody stood with her.
