Gujjars, Bakerwals to protest in Delhi against ST tag to Paharis

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Jammu, October 28

Members of the Gujjar and the Bakerwal communities on Friday expressed anguish over the interim report of the Jammu and Kashmir Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Commission, headed by Justice GD Sharma (retd), which has reportedly proposed scheduled tribe (ST) status for Pahari-speaking people and some other communities. They have decided to hold a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on November 1.

Gujjars and Bakerwals, who already have the ST status, have been opposing the inclusion of the Pahari community. The Jammu and Kashmir Gujjar Bakerwal Organisations’ Coordination Committee, an association of different groups of the community, alleged during a press conference that the report was based on biased attitude of the members of the commission.

Advocate Anwar Chowdhary, convener of the committee, said the world had been under Covid pandemic for the past two years so “the commission members could not venture out in the field and framed an imaginary interim report, which is not based on facts and ground situation”.

Based on the commission’s report, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had on October 4 said that reservation for Paharis would be rolled out.

Choudhary said, “It is surprising that till recently the people claiming to be Pahari speaking have gained a different ethnicity. Paharis have no distinct culture, trait or identity. The people who are claiming to be from the community are very difficult to be distinguished as there are different castes and groups who claim to be Paharis”.

Other members of the committee, including Bashir Ahmed Noon, Aslam Khan and Mushtaq Ahmed, alleged that the commission had “deliberately tried to divide the people on the lines of religion, community and society”.

Against Justice Sharma-led panel’s proposal

• J&K Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Commission, headed by Justice GD Sharma (retd), has proposed ST status for Paharis.
• Gujjar Bakerwal Organisations’ Coordination Committee says there are several castes and groups who claim to be Paharis.