Srinagar, July 26, 2023 (PPI-OT): Indian police arrested several members of Gujjar-Bakerwal community during a protest demonstration in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. A large number of Gujjar-Bakerwals gathered at Press Enclave in Srinagar to protest against the inclusion of upper-caste Paharis in the Scheduled Tribe list in the occupied territory.
The protesters, including students, senior citizens and youth, carried placards reading “No to the GD Sharma Commission” and “Justice to Gujjar and Bakerwals.” They expressed their objection to the inclusion of upper-caste Paharis in the Scheduled Tribe list. They said that the Paharis fail to meet the five criteria set by the Lokur Committee (1965) for identifying Scheduled Tribes, which include primitive traits, distinct culture, geographical isolation, shyness of contact with the community at large, and backwardness. Granting ST status to the upper caste Paharis is an injustice, they said.
On the behest of the Bharatiya Janata Party and other groups, a bill to amend the Jammu and Kashmir Scheduled Tribe Reservation Act 1989 has been listed in the ongoing Monsoon Session of the Indian Parliament. “Various groups of Paharis, along with some members of the ST Morcha of the BJP, are in Delhi advocating for the passage of the bill in the Lok Sabha,” said a protester.
The Gujjar Bakerwals highlighted their struggle against marginalisation and oppression, with some members still residing in and around jungles and facing a literacy rate below 30%. A protestor said in the Pir Panjal region of occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the political motives of the BJP are being closely scrutinised. The Gujjar Bakerwals are determined not to let political interests supersede justice and fairness, especially for a heterogeneous group like the Upper Caste Paharis, he added.
Meanwhile, members of Jammu and Kashmir Gujjar-Bakerwal Coordination Committee (JKGBCC) at a joint press conference in Jammu expressed deep anguish and resentment on the Indian government for including a Bill for discussion in the Parliament for granting Scheduled Tribe status to the so-called Pahari and other Communities. They said that the Bill should be dropped and not to be considered for including Non-Tribal upper caste communities into Scheduled Tribe category.
Prominent among those present at the press conference included Anwar Choudhary, Ashok Basotra, Parvez Ahmed, Akram Choudhary, Choudhary Aslam Khan, Mushtaq Choudhary, Hasham Ali, Abdul Hamid Choudhary, Shah Mohammad Chowdhary, Ali Hussain Hakla, and Choudhary Bashir Ahmed Noon.
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