Members of Dhangar community hold ‘rasta roko’ agitations to demand inclusion in ST category

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Members of the Dhangar community held rasta roko (road blockade) agitations at different places in the Marathwada region on Monday to press for their long-pending demand to recognise the community members under the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category.
In Maharashtra, the Dhangar community is classified as a Nomadic Tribe (NT) and enjoys 3.5% quota.Citing that the Dhangar community members in other states were classified as Scheduled Tribes, the community has been demanding that it should be classified as ST and its quota share should be increased to 7%.
The community members, traditionally shepherds, held blocked the roads by bringing herds of sheep with them.
In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, the agitations were held in Harsul, Chikalthana, Padegaon, Bidkin, Bharadi Naka (Sillod), Khamgaon Phata (Phulambri) and Pimpalwadi Phata (Paithan), among other places. "In the past few decades, every govt simply fooled our community for votes. If our demands are not fulfilled, we will show our resentment through our votes," Vinod Khandagle, one of the protesters, said.
Another activist said chief minister Eknath Shinde held a meeting with our community leaders in Mumbai on Sept 15 and made hollow assurances after the community members held agitations for several days.
The Dhangar community, which accounts for about 9% of the state's population, has influence on at least four Lok Sabha seats in western Maharashtra and at least a couple of seats in Marathwada and Vidarbha. Their petitions for ST classification have faced legal challenges, including a rejection from the Bombay high court. The community members have been actively protesting and planning actions like blocking highways to push for their demands.
State govt had in Nov 2023 formed a nine-member committee under IRS officer Sudhakar Shinde to study the methodology used by other states in the country to include other castes in the ST category. The committee was initially given a three-month period to carry out the study and submit the report. The Dhangar community members said the report was yet to be submitted.