Dhangar outfit plans 55km human chain

Aurangabad: Jai Malhar Sena, an organisation of the

Dhangar

(shepherd) community, has decided to form a 55-km-long

human chain

between Aurangabad and Jalna on Thursday to draw the attention of both the central and state governments towards their longstanding demand of bringing them under the schedule tribes (

ST

) category.

Lahu Shevale, president of Jai Malhar Sena, on Tuesday said that the community has been mentioned in the Constitution at No. 36 in the list Schedule Castes as Dhangad community. “Despite this, even after 65 years, the community has been deprived of its right. When written in English, the caste is referred as Dhangad, and when written in Hindi or Marathi it is written as Dhangar,” he said.

He also claimed that in 2012 following persuasion by the community the then central government had sought the opinion of the state government. But since, then all the governments chose to sit on this communication. “We simply want the Uddhav Thackeray government to pass a resolution to the effect that the Dhangad and the Dhangar are the same and send it to the Union government. He pointed out that it’s like- the name of Balram Jakhad is written in Hindi or Marathi as Balram Jakhar,” Shevale said.

He alleged that the community was misled during the era of the previous BJP-Shiv Sena government, when former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had promised to take a decision to this effect in his first cabinet meeting.


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