MOST INDIANS go berserk when baited with religion, but not the villagers of Sukhomajri who let secular principles take precedence.

A few years ago, a self-styled god man from Sukhomajri placed an object of worship in the forest, which attracted several devotees. The god man, along with some of the devotees, started clearing a patch of forest land. Alarmed forest officials were hesitant to take action, fearing religious sentiments might be hurt.

But the village society put the forests before religion and persuaded the forest officials to take action and thus, the encroachers were evicted.