Ravidasia community demands end to SC classification, seeks fair jobs and education

Members of the Ravidasia community from across Haryana assembled in Hisar on Saturday to protest what they termed longstanding neglect in the areas of education, employment and reservation benefits.

Main demands

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End reservation classification

Increase SC reservation to 22.5%

Scrap not found suitable (NFS) rule

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Fill 72,000 backlog SC posts

Abolish Kaushal Rojgar Nigam; ensure regular recruitment

Implement uniform national education policy

Addressing the gathering, organising committee representative and main speaker Shishpal Chalia alleged that the constitutional rights of the community were being systematically diluted. He said they would be compelled to launch a larger agitation if the authorities continued to ignore their concerns.

Highlighting the issue of internal classification within Scheduled Castes, he claimed that Deprived Scheduled Caste (DSC) groups were being included within the quota earmarked for the Chamar community, thereby depriving its students of their rightful share. The protesters unanimously demanded an end to such reservation-based categorisation and sought an increase in the SC quota from 17% to 22.5%.

Speakers also expressed concern over unemployment, alleging that recruitment bodies often reject eligible candidates under the label “Not Found Suitable (NFS)” and then leave reserved posts vacant. They called for filling 72,000 backlog SC posts, scrapping the NFS rule, shutting down the Kaushal Rojgar Nigam, and ensuring regular government recruitment instead of outsourcing.

They further criticised the government’s decision to allocate the only reserved seat in top-level government positions exclusively to DSC candidates, terming it a deliberate attempt to marginalise the Chamar community and prevent it from attaining leadership roles. Delays in scholarships and welfare schemes, along with alleged bias in the functioning of the Social Welfare Department, were also raised.

Calling the present education system discriminatory, the speakers demanded a uniform national policy with “One Nation, One Syllabus, One Board” to ensure equal opportunities for all sections.