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Adivasis protest in Utnoor, demand 75% job quota in police recruitment
Hundreds of Adivasis staged a protest outside the ITDA office in Utnoor on Monday, demanding that the Telangana government reserve 75 per cent of police jobs for local Adivasis of agency areas…
Hundreds of Adivasis staged a protest outside the ITDA office in Utnoor on Monday, demanding that the Telangana government reserve 75 per cent of police jobs for local Adivasis of agency areas under GO 109. The rally, organised by Thudum Debba with support from Adivasi Sena, also called for implementing GO 3, which was struck down by the Supreme Court.
Protesters submitted a memorandum to project officer Manda Makarandu, who said a report on the lack of special reservation in the current police recruitment notification has already been sent to the state government. He noted that GO 3 can only be revived through new legislation in Parliament. The Adivasis also demanded the appointment of a commission to remove Lambadas from the ST list and the issuance of Recognition of Forest Rights pattas for podu lands they have cultivated for years.
Adivasis of Thudum Debba and Adivasi Sena leaders along with cadre participated in the protest. Addressing the gathering, Tudum Debba state president Godam Ganesh alleged that forest officials are harassing Adivasis by blocking borewells, development works, and the construction of Indiramma houses on podu lands.
Indian Opinion Analysis
GO 109 was issued in 1972 to protect Adivasi land and job rights in the scheduled areas of Telangana, but the state has issued recruitment notifications without the mandated quota, prompting repeated protests. The demand for removing Lambadas from the ST list stems from a long dispute over benefit-sharing among tribal groups, with Adivasi bodies arguing that Lambadas, who were nomadic, dilute the reservation meant for primitive tribes. GO 3, struck down by the Supreme Court, had extended reservation beyond the constitutional cap of 50 per cent, its revival requires Parliament to amend the Constitution. The government must now either legislate or find an executive route before the next police recruitment exam is notified. The podu land dispute, where forest rights are withheld despite decades of cultivation, affects lakhs of Adivasi families across central India and has no immediate resolution in sight.
Source: deccanchronicle.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
