AHMEDABAD: Buying a tribal bride may no longer be easy for boys from upper caste communities that have low sex ratios . Tribals across Gujarat are increasingly resentful of their daughters marrying into communities with few girls because of female foeticide The Garasiya tribals of north Gujarat have even issued a diktat to the members not to marry girls outside the community. The leaders met in Shamlaji earlier this month and decided to bar girls from marrying Patels, Brahmins and other communities. A family that allows such a marriage would be fined Rs 50,000. On the face of it, the tribals say they don’t want to create a shortage of girls in their own community, but their fear may stem from deeper factors.“Members of Adivasi Dungarsinh Garasiya Samaj are often offered cash and jewellery to lure them into marrying their daughters outside the community. At this rate, a time will soon come when our boys will find it difficult to get a bride,” says Kalji Kataria, a tribal leader from Sabarkantha. Kataria say 100-odd Garasia girls were married to Patel boys in Mehsana in last one year alone.Well-known tribal activist Gandesh Devy says, “There are a number of aspects to the resentment. Tribals want to Sankritize and many have even taken on ‘Patel’ as a surname. But they fear losing their lands. A non-tribal can’t own tribal land unless he is married to a tribal. There have been instances where a non-tribal husband has abandoned his tribal wife after getting ownership of land.”He adds tribals are also upset about their daughters being treated like lifelong maids in many cases.Community leaders speculate that at least 20,000 tribal girls have married outside in the past few years. Marriage agents have mushroomed all across Gujarat’s eastern tribal belt. Interestingly, all tribal districts in Gujarat have a healthy child sex ratio of between 900 and 975 girls per 1,000 boys.Tribal MLAs like Dr Anil Joshiyara of Bhiloda and Amarsinh Vasava of Jhagadia said they were present at the Shamlaji meeting.“This is a trend which can alter the very character of tribal society if it goes unchecked,” Joshiyara said.