Kashyaps take out march demanding change in reservation category

MEERUT/BIJNOR: After sitting on a dharna outside the collectorate since June 15, over 10,000 members of Kashyap Machhua Samaj Sangharsh Morcha took out a march from the Government Inter College playground, demanding a change in their reservation category from Other Backward Classes to Schedule Caste in Muzaffarnagar.
A memorandum addressing the governor was handed over to the district magistrate.In the letter, the agitators said they would halt trains, hold repeated demonstrations at public places and disrupt normal life till their voices are heard. The agitators said the government would be responsible in case matters took a violent turn.
An announcement regarding the march had already been made during a press conference on June 27. However, the number of participants went beyond the expected figure of 600 resulting in traffic snarls across the city. In Bijnor, a similar march took place from Aizaz Ali Hall to the collectorate.
“According to the 2001 census, there are 1.83 crore Kashyaps in the country. The Uttar Pradesh government formed a committee to ascertain reservation for Kashyaps and wrote to the Centre in 2003 and 2013, but to no avail. If our demands are not met in a month, we will block roads and railway crossings,” said B K Kashyap, Bijnor district president of Samajwadi Party’s Mulayam Singh Youth Brigade.
At GIC playground, Motiram Kashyap and Rajpal Kashyap addressed the gathering saying until the Kashyap community is given 7% reservation under SC category, their agitation will go on. They also promised to go to any length to fulfill their demand.