The discontent amongst the Bakerwal and Gujjar nomadic tribe community has been simmering ever since became cognizant of Centre’s decision to declare Paharis as Scheduled Tribe (ST). The Tribal Bachao (Save tribals) March, is a 500 km march from Kupwara to Kathua covering all the 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir.

The rally, which started from Kupwara on November 4 under the banner of All J&K Gujjar-Bakerwal Joint Action Committee—an amalgam of various tribal organisations headed by president Haji Mohammad Yousuf in the Union Territory—reached Hill Kaka in the border district of Poonch on Monday—after passing through tribal areas of Baramulla, Srinagar, Pulwama, Ganderbal and Shopian districts, reported Indian Express. Holding placards and raising slogans like “Markazi sarkar, Hosh mein aao, Hosh mein aao” and “ST status se chher-chhar, Nahi chalegi, Nahi chalegi”, the protestors took out a rally in areas pre-dominantly inhabited by Gujjars and Bakerwals.

The All J&K Gujjar-Bakerwal Coordination Committee has also given a call for protests during visits by Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda in Udhampur district and other places during November 17-18.

After the delimitation exercise culminated in the Union Territory, Shah had, at a rally in Rajouri on October 4 said, “The Jagdish Sharma Commission had recommended that reservations be granted to Paharis, Gujjars and Bakarwals. Prime Minister Modi has a large heart and he will ensure that as soon as all formalities are completed, Gujjars, Bakarwals and Paharis will get all benefits of reservation”. In an attempt to allay the fears of the Bakerwal-Gujjar communities he continued, “I assure you, Paharis getting their due will not affect Gujjar Bakarwals by even one percent.”

After the delimitation exercise was carried out in the aftermath of the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A, the Delimitation Commission reserved nine assembly seats for the ST population. It included three assembly seats of Poonch, two out of five in Rajouri, and one each in Reasi, Anantnag, Ganderbal and Bandipore districts. Since then, the Pahari-speaking population, around 9% of the region’s total population, amplified their reservation demands.

Implications of ST status in J&K

ST status paves the way for 10 percent reservation in government jobs and access to a host of social welfare schemes. Pahari Speaking People (PSP) already enjoy 4 percent reservation in some select social schemes. But Gujjars and Bakarwals are reportedly opposed to the move to grant them ST status, as they say Paharis are a linguistic group and don’t hail from any single tribe or ethnicity, and granting them Scheduled Tribe status would dilute the nature of the ST tatus and related welfare schemes. They further argue that Paharis, unlike Gujjars and Bakarwals, do not belong to socio-economically backward communities. 

Who are Paharis?

Paharis are a heterogenous socio-linguistic group of people residing in the Pir Panjal range, mainly in Poonch, Rajauri, and even some parts of Kashmir Valley including Baramulla, Kupwara and Uri. While over 55 percent are Hindus, rest are Muslims. They engage in agriculture and animal husbandry. They have been seeking ST status as they too live and work amidst harsh conditions in a rugged terrain just like Gujjars and Bakarwals. It is also noteworthy that Gujjars and Bakarwals form the third largest ethnic group in Jammu and Kashmir after Kashmiris and Dogras.

As per Gujjars and Bakerwals, Paharis are a group of over 50 religious communities, including upper castes from both Hindus and Muslims, like Brahmins, Rajputs, Syeds and Mirzas.

The granting of ST status to Paharis has been so contentious, that in the recent past some of the senior most Pahari political leaders including Mushtaq Bukhari, a senior National Conference leader from Rajouri, Mohammad Ehsan from Peoples Democratic Party, and several others, have resigned from other parties to support BJP’s bid to grant the community ST status.

Woes of the Bakerwal-Gujjar community

According to the 2011 Census, Gujjar and Bakerwals constitute as many as 15 lakh people in Jammu and Kashmir and were included as ST in 1992. They are found residing in districts of Rajouri, Poonch, Reasi, Kishtwar, Anantnag, Bandipora, Ganderbal and Kupwara. They currently 10% reservation in education and government jobs and post the recent delimitation of Assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies, nine reserved seats in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly.

Despite having reservations, the Gujjar and Bakerwal communities claim that they are facing harassment from the authorities as many of the members have been forcefully evicted from their residential areas since last year. Many have also accused the government of delaying the implementation of the Forests Rights Act (FRA) that empowers them.

After recommendations by a commission to grant ST status to Pahari-speaking people, Kohlis and Gadda Brahmins, the Jammu and Kashmir administration has reclassified “Pahari-speaking people” as “Pahari ethnic group” to pave way for their inclusion in the ST category. The reclassification will avoid any legal hurdles since no reservation can be given on linguistic grounds, reported NDTV.

In late October, the J&K government amended its Reservation Rules, extending the benefits of 4 per cent reservation in jobs and admissions in professional colleges of the UT to the “Pahari Ethnic Group”, in place of the “Pahari Speaking People”. The amendments have been ordered by the Lt Governor in exercise of the powers conferred by the first proviso to clause (o) of Section 2 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act-2004. This was followed by the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) approving inclusion of Paharis in the list of STs in J&K, reported IE.

While the government has been trying to placate them by saying that giving ST status to Paharis wil not dilute their reservation, the Gujjars and Bakerwals have their concerns and rightly so. Their apprehension is that since Paharis are ahead of them in literacy and economic conditions, they will usurp the reservation benefits, leaving nothing for the rightful benefactors as themselves.

Javed Rahi, founder secretary general of the Tribal Research Foundation – an organisation working for the welfare of Gujjars and Bakerwals in J&K — said that granting ST status just on the basis of ethnicity, ignoring other associated factors like socio-economic and literacy factors will open a Pandora’s box, as there were nearly 48 ethnic groups in Kashmir and almost an equal number in Jammu division such as Kashmiris and Dogras. “They, too, may demand similar reservation,” he told IE.

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Gujjar-Bakerwals Protest Ahead of Amit Shah’s J&K Visit Fearing Dilution of ST Status

The post J&K: “Tribals Bachao” protest intensifies over govt move to declare upper castes as ST appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Srinagar: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday indicated that the Pahari community from the region will be given reservation soon after the administrative process is completed.

Shah said the process for reservation was cleared after the abrogation of Article 370 and 35 A following which the Justice (retd) GD Sharma Commission also recommended reservation for Gujjar, Bakerwal and Pahari communities. “Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi also wishes that the communities be granted reservation rights. It will be given soon once the administrative process is through,” Shah said.

The Union home minister, who arrived in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday evening, addressed a rally in Jammu’s Rajouri district on Tuesday where he made the fresh commitment to the tribal community.

Shah’s remarks come amidst protests from the Gujjar and Bakerwal communities who are averse to the granting of Schedule Tribe (ST) status to the Pahari-speaking community. They claim the Pahari community does not fulfil the criteria for reservation.

Representatives and activists from the Gujjar and Bakerwal communities have been holding peaceful demonstration across the region since the past two days against the proposed move, which, they believe, will lead to the ‘dilution’ of ST reservation.

The home minister, however, during his address assured the Gujjar and Bakerwal communities that they would not lose even 1% of the reservation rights they have been granted.

He claimed that Gujjars and Bakerwals were being “instigated” by some elements to oppose ST status being given to Paharis but, adding that these elements had “failed in their design.”

Shah also launched a scathing attack on regional political parties — the National Conference (NC), People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the Congress party — calling them “dynasts” who have shown “no regard for democracy or interests of the people” of the region.

“Today’s rally and your ‘Modi-Modi’ chants are answers to those who said if 370 A will be revoked, there will be a bloodbath in the region,” Shah said.

The home minister flew to the border district of Rajouri after he paid obesiance at Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Reasi district on the eve of Maha Navami festival.

This is the home minister’s third visit to the region since he announced the revocation of J&K’s ‘special status’ in Parliament in August 2019 and the second visit this year. He is also scheduled to visit North Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Wednesday where he will hold his next rally.

As Shah addressed people in Rajouri, authorities suspended mobile internet services in parts of Jammu and Rajouri districts to thwart what they termed as “misuse by miscreants” which may cause “deterioration in public order”.

“The order/letter under reference, inter-alia, mentions about possibility of Mobile Data (2G/3G/4G) services to be misused by anti-national elements/miscreants, which may cause deterioration in public order,” the government order read.

Shah’s visit was marked with several attacks in the Union territory despite heightened security measures. A non-local bank manager escaped unhurt after he was attacked on Monday by suspected militants at Goshbugh village of North Kashmir’s Baramulla district where Shah will address a public rally.

Before the visit another attack was carried out on Sunday by suspected militants in Pinglena village of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district in which a policeman Javid Ahmad Dar was killed. The attackers also injured a Central Reserve Police Force personnel in the attack on joint patrol party that the officials claimed was meant to disrupt Shah’s visit.

Meanwhile, just after Shah arrived in Jammu DG Prisons Hemant Kumar Lohia was reported to have been murdered at his Jammu residence on Monday night. In an unverified social media update, the killing of Lohia was owned by Jaish e Mohammad (JeM) offshoot People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF). The J&K police have arrested the officer’s domestic help, who is the main suspect, in the incident and so far ruled any militancy related angle.

Courtesy: Newsclick

The post J&K: Pahari Community to Get Reservation Soon, Says Amit Shah Amid Protests by Opposition appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Srinagar: Members of the Gujjar and Bakerwal communities have launched protests across Jammu and Kashmir ahead of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to the region. The communities are apprehensive that Shah may announce Schedule Tribe status for the Pahari community, which the former claim will lead to ‘dilution’ of the reservation.

Representatives, students and community activists from the Gujjar and Bakerwal community, who fall in the Schedule Tribe (ST) category, took to the streets and carried out several rallies in several areas of Kashmir valley, parts of Chenab valley and Pir Panjal areas. The community members argue that Gujjar and Bakerwal communities are not only socially, economically and politically backwards but also face social stigmatisation, which the Pahari community does not have to deal with. They have called for a valley-wide mobilisation to peacefully protest for what they referred to as the “protection of reservation rights.”

Shah is visiting the region for two days from October 4. The Pahari community is hopeful that the Home Minister will announce ST status for them during his rally in the Rajouri area of Jammu, which has a significant Pahari-speaking population. The demonstrators have said they will continue their protest during Shah’s visit.

Faisal Raza Bokda, the provincial president of the Gujjar Bakarwal Youth Welfare Conference J&K (JKGBYWC) in Jammu, said that the Pahari community does not fit the criteria of being a Scheduled Tribe.

“It (the ST status) was granted to us after a long struggle by the community and its leaders in 1990. The Paharis did not fulfil the standards and were hence left out, and there was no demand as such during that time. Now that there is a political reservation, which was announced during the delimitation process, some of the Pahari leaders have began demanding it,” Faisal told NewsClick.

Gujjar and Bakerwals have a 7.5% reservation under the ST category, which they also share with other communities like Shinas. The young activist also argued that anyone who lives in the mountains could claim Pahari status, and the community already enjoys reservations in several categories, making the fresh demand “unjustified”.

“They have 40% reservation across different categories, and there is also a 4% reservation under PSP (Pahari Speaking Population) even as there are no reservations given on the basis of language,” he said.

Faisal pointed out that if the government increases their percentage under these reservations, the Paharis will have no problem, but including them in the ST reservation will impact other communities.

According to the 2011 Census, Gujjar and Bakerwals constitute as many as 15 lakh people in Jammu and Kashmir and were included as ST in 1992.

After the delimitation exercise was carried out in the aftermath of the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A, the Delimitation Commission reserved nine assembly seats for the ST population. It included three assembly seats of Poonch, two out of five in Rajouri, and one each in Reasi, Anantnag, Ganderbal and Bandipore districts. Since then, the Pahari-speaking population, around 9% of the region’s total population, amplified their reservation demands.

The regional political parties have been backing the demands of the Pahari-speaking population, with many of the regional mainstream leadership calling it genuine. However, the conflict between the communities has caused concern among the parties urging the community leaders to end it.

Arguing that the issue has made enemies out of brothers and caused tension in the Pir Panjal region, former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti told reporters in Srinagar that the communities had lived together for centuries, and still, they are being pitted against each other.

“The Home Minister will come and leave. The BJP is here today, it will not be there tomorrow. First, they pitted Hindus against Muslims, and now they want the Gujjars and Paharis to fight with each other. It is forming a gulf between them. Your religion is one, you are the residents of the same place, so such fights should not happen,” Mufti, the president of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), said.

Despite having reservations, the Gujjar and Bakerwal communities claim that they are facing harassment from the authorities as many of the members have been forcefully evicted from their residential areas since last year. Many have also accused the government of delaying the implementation of the Forests Rights Act (FRA) that empowers them.

Courtesy: Newsclick

The post Gujjar-Bakerwals Protest Ahead of Amit Shah’s J&K Visit Fearing Dilution of ST Status appeared first on SabrangIndia.