Dhangars to flex muscles for quota

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, August 12

Members of the Dhangar or shepherd community will hit the streets across Maharashtra on Monday to demand reservation in educational institutions and government jobs.

Banded together under the banner of the Dhangar Sangharsh Samiti, members of the community will hold protests from 10 am to 6 pm on Monday. The shepherd community, which exists in large numbers in western and northern Maharashtra, Marathwada and Vidarbha regions, will hold protests at local district headquarters.

“We are demanding to be classified as Scheduled Tribes that would allow us to avail more quota in educational institutions and government jobs,” says BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Dr Vikas Mahatme.

According to him, there are around one crore members of the Dhangar community in Maharashtra. They are classified as nomadic tribes, which are eligible for small quotas in educational institutions and government jobs.

Dr Mahatme said organisations representing the community had asked its members not to resort to violence during Monday's protests.

According to him, leaders of the community chose August 13 for the protests because it marked the death anniversary of Ahilyabai Holkar, who ruled the Malwa kingdom for around 30 years.

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra Government has claimed that efforts were being made to fulfil demands of the Dhangar community.