To protest against ST status to Paharis, Gujjars, Bakerwals call for boycott of tribal minister’s visit

All J&K Gujjar Bakerwal Co-ordination Committee (AJKGBCC), the main body of ST communities of J&K said appealed to the ST communities of J&K to wear black badges, hold black flags on their houses and share their photos and reels on social media handles

Gujjars, Bakerwals and other scheduled tribe communities of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday announced to boycott of the visit of union tribal minister Arjun Munda to Udhampur on November 17 and 18.

Members of the Gujjar and Bakerwal communities display banners during a demonstration in New Delhi on November 1, 2022, to protest a proposed move to grant scheduled tribe (ST) status to certain communities, including Pahari-speaking people, in Jammu and Kashmir. (AFP)

“To register our protest against the move of the government to grant ST status to Pahari-speaking people, who belong to upper castes of society, a boycott call was announced today by All J&K Gujjar Bakerwal Co-ordination Committee (AJKGBCC), the main body of ST communities of J&K,” said its convenor Anwar Chowdhary at a press conference here.

He said protests will be held in all the tribal localities in Udhampur during the two-day visit of the tribal minister to oppose the move of granting ST status to mainstream society under the canopy of Pahari-speaking people.

As per the programme, the tribal leaders appealed to the ST communities of J&K to wear black badges, hold black flags on their houses and share their photos and reels on social media handles.

He said that if these communities comprising more than 60 castes come under the ambit of ST, they will elbow out the genuine tribes from the competition as being weaker sections facing poverty, illiteracy, and social discrimination.

Recently, the registrar general of India and the national commission for Schedule Tribes accepted the recommendations of Justice GD Sharma’s Commission report to notify Paharis as STs.

The Gujjar-Bakerwals currently enjoy 10% reservation in education and government employment, besides nine reserved seats in the Legislative Assembly. With the proposed inclusion of Paharis and other castes, such as Gadda Brahmins, in the ST category, Gujjar-Bakerwals fear a loss in education and job opportunities.