Dhangar Scheduled tribe issue

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dhangar ST issue timeline.

[edit] See also

Year Details
1872 The Government published Colonel Dalton’s, Descriptive Ethnology of Bengal.

The book states that Dhangars are known as Oraon in the Eastern Part of India and that Oraons migrated from western India.
1881 The Hindi version of the census report uses the word Dhangar (Marathi: ) for shepherds of Satara and Dhangad(Marathi: ) for Kolhapur with mentioning its population.
1896 Mr Grieson, incharge of Census, undertook The Linguistic and Ethnographic Survey.
1901 Shahu Maharaj introduces reservations in Maharashtra.
1901 Mr. Grieson wrote a chapter on languages in India in the Census report.
1920 In the linguistic survey of India Vol I Part II Griesen claasified India

Languages. He stated that ‘R’ is pronounced as ‘D’ and ‘L’. Eg. Orrisa in English and Odissa in Hindi, Beed – Bhir, Chopda – Chopra, Tiwari – Tiwadi, Dhangar - Dhangad etc.
1928 As per a Committee recommendation, depressed classes included other wandering and backward classes.
29-05-1933 As per the recommendations of the above committee list of Backward Committee was prescribed under Government Resolution General Department No 9330 of 29th May 1933.
23/4/1942 Communities in the State of Bombay Classified into Advanced, Intermediate and Backward Classes under Govt Resolution Political and Services Department No 1673/34 dated 23/4/1942.
15/08/1947 India gains freedom.
26/1/1950 Constitution of India comes in force.
6/9/50 List of Scheduled Tribes published.
1955 BCC report states that the age-old definition of Tribes should be shed.
1955 Kalelkar report stated that the communities of shepherd class in many states were engaged in rearing large flocks of sheep. Gaddis of Himachal Pradesh, Gadarieas of North Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, Dhangars in Bombay were mainly engaged in sheep flocks.

Shepherds are known by different names in different parts of country. Their condition is far from satisfactory.(Vol I, pg 77) The Dhangar community was regarded as most backward and was recommended to be included in Schedule Tribes. It found its place in Sr. No. 36 in the list of Schedule Tribes in Maharashtra. In other states too it was included in the Schedules.
1956 Constitution amended as per Kalelkar report The Scheduled Tribes list of the then Madhya Pradesh at Sr. no 26 listed Dhangad without referring to any particular district or tehsil which means that Dhangad from all of the present Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisghar and some part of present Maharashtra were meant to be Scheduled Tribe.

The Scheduled Tribes List of the then Bombay (Now Maharashtra) at Sr. no 27 listed Dhangad, Oraon without referring to any area which means Dhangads of whole of the Bombay State were meant to be Scheduled Tribe.
10/9/1956 The Law minister of India assured the House that the mistakes in the list of SC and ST will be rectified.
1/5/1960 State of Maharashtra came into existence.
1961 Ethnographic study was undertaken by the census department to identify the scheduled caste and scheduled tribes.
1961 The Ethnographic report and the Bibliography of Scheduled Tribes published by the Government of India. It mentions Dhangar, Dhangad as the Scheduled Tribe in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.
21/11/1961 Unified list of VJNT prepared for the state of Maharashtra as per the Thade Committee Report.
11/1/1964 B G Deshmukh committee submitted its report to the state government and proposed that the backward classes should be grouped into Schedules Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Denotified & Nomadic Tribes and Other Backward Classes.
1965 B.N.Lokur Committee advised the Government of India to delete Oroan from the list of Scheduled Tribe of Maharashtra as it is not found in Maharashtra but it did not suggest the same for Dhangad.
1966 Chanda Committee appointed to remove anomalies in the list.
20/06/1966 State of Maharashtra recommends the Government of India to include Dhangar community in the list of Scheduled Tribe.
1967 Report, bibliography on SC/ST and marginal communities published by census dept which includes Dhangar/Dhangad as a Scheduled Tribe in Maharashtra.
13/10/1966 List of OBC prepared by the State of Maharashtra to give scholarships.
20/06/1967 MLA Ganpatrao Deshmukh asks the state what steps it was taking regarding the Dhangar communities ST status.
1967 Advisory committee report asks the government to remove anomalies.
1967 Scheduled Tribe amendment bill lapsed.
1968 Bibliography on SC and ST and marginal tribes published in 1968. See pg 294.
1976 Constitution of India Amended.

The Scheduled Tribe list of Maharashtra Listed Dhangad at Sr. No 36 by putting a punctuation mark of comma after Oraon without mentioning any particular area. (36. Oraon, Dhangad.) [Note:There is no community called Dhangad present in the State of Maharashtra and not even a single person is found of this so called community. The only community present in the State of Maharashtra is Dhangar which is pronounced as Dhangad in Hindi. So it is wrong to say that there are two distinct communities called Dhangad and Dhangar present in Maharashtra.]
22/03/1977 The Union of India removed the area restriction.
1978 Report of the Commissioner for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes reveals that the state government doesn’t have power to impose area restriction on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in their State.
1978 The Government laid the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (amendment) Bill 1978 but as the Sixth Loksabha dissolved the bill too lapsed.
26/03/1978 Government of Maharashtra again recommends the Government of India for the inclusion of Dhangar as a Scheduled Tribe
1979 Mandal Commission regarded Dhangad and Dhangar one and the same.
1981 L.M. Shrikant report recommends the center to remove the anomalies in the SC and ST list
9/2/1981 The center ask the State whether Dhangar should be included in the list of Scheduled Tribe and to reply before 7/3/1981. It further stated if no reply is received by then it will be deemed that the state has accepted it.

The state does not reply by 7/3/81.
6/11/1981 The State of Maharashtra recommends the withdrawal of Dhangar from the list of Scheduled Tribes.

The center did not accept.
1982 Bibliography on SC and ST and marginal tribes published which shows Dhangar as a Scheduled Tribe in Maharashtra.
8/9/1982 MLA Chimanrao Kadam states in the assembly that the Mandal Commission states that the Dhangad and Dhangar are one and the same.
8/9/82 The Tribal Research and Training Centre Pune issued a circular for the guidance of competent authorities to issue caste certificates.

The circular stated that Dhangads are found only in the eight districts of Vidharbha region.
1983 The circular was challenged in WP 1110/83 on the ground that the state government had no powers to impose area restrictions for issuing Caste Certificates as the Parliament had removed the area restrictions in 1977.

The State Government filed an affidavit and stated that the circular dated 8/9/82 was withdrawn on 24/3/83. The withdrawal order was never circulated by the State Government to the concerned officers who issue caste certificates for reason best known by them.
24/4/85 The state government again issued a similar circular.

The circular stated that people of Dhangar community deceive the government by producing false certificates as Dhangad. The circular further stated that Dhangads are found only in the District of Gadchiroli, which was contrary to what was mentioned in the circular dated 8/9/83.
16/12/1986. Assistant Director states that Dhangad and Dhangar may be one and the same.
28/04/1989 Advisory Committee recommends the inclusion of Dhangar community in the list of Scheduled Tribe.
06/09/1989 The Government of India states in a letter that Dhangar is already included in the list of Scheduled Tribe and the census of Oraon, Dhangad and Dhangar is already carried out.
22/12/1989 MP Mrs Suryakanta Patil asks whether Dhangar is included in the list of Scheduled Tribe. The minister replies that Dhangar of Maharashtra are already included in the list of Scheduled Tribe.
1989 Dhangars in the state of Maharashtra agitate for the ST status. PM Rajiv Ghandhi accepts their demands.
25/5/1990 Sharad Pawar lead State Government included the Nomadic or wandering Shepherd Class i.e. Dhangar Community in the list of VJ/NT by depriving them the ST status. Creamy layer excluded.
23/3/1994 NT List amended.
1994 Kumbi and Kunbi regarded as one and the same.
23/11/95 The then Chief Minister Manohar Joshi declared at Nagpur that the circular dated 24/4/1985 was withdrawn.
19/5/1995 The State Backward Class Commission (Khatri Commission) was formed.
13/06/1995 The State of Maharashtra prepares the list of Special Backward Class.
12/7/96 The Government of Maharashtra (Revenue and Forest Department) publishes a notification under Bombay Court fees Act 1959 in the Gazette in which the list of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe is given. The Marathi version of the Scheduled Tribes uses the word ‘Dhangar’ and the English version ‘Dhangad’. This shows that the letters ‘R’ and ‘D’ are interchangeable and both the words mean the same.
6/11/97 The State of Maharashtra issued notification in leading news papers appealing the public to send information about the communities that were included in the guide lines issued by Tribal development department Bombay dated 24/4/85 by ignoring the Ethnographic reports and Bibliographies published by the Government of India.
12/11/1998 As per the recommendations of Khatri Commission and Edate Commission list of VJNT and OBC’s was amended.
27/10/1999 The list of OBC of the State of Maharashtra amended.
1/1/2001 The list of OBC of the State of Maharashtra amended.
14/02/2001 The list of VJNT of the State of Maharashtra amended.
19/3/2001 The Government of Maharashtra (Revenue and Forest Department) again publishes a notification under Bombay Court fees Act 1959 in the Gazette in which the list of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe is given. The Marathi version of the Scheduled Tribes uses the word ‘Dhangar’ and the English version ‘Dhangad’. This shows that the letters ‘R’ and ‘D’ are interchangeable and both the words mean the same.
29/05/2001 The Backward Class Commission (Khatri Commision ) formed.
31/03/2002 The Venkatachalia Committee on the review of the working of the Constitution submits its report, makes recommendations for nomadic tribes.
2/8/2002 MP Pradeep Rawat tells the house that there is a spelling mistake in the word Dhangad in the list of Scheduled Tribe and the word must be Dhangar. The minister replies that there is no spelling mistake.
/12/2002 The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Orders (Second Amendment) Bill, 2002. Twenty- Seventh Report. Standing Committee on labour and Welfare (2002) (13th Loksabha), Ministry of Tribal Welfares observed in its report that the Ministry should review/revise the criteria for identifying the tribes and the modalities. 2.36 The Committee noted that there are various communities which are synonyms to each other but have not been included in the present Bill. For example in the case of ‘Dhangad’ and ‘Dhangar’ communities of Maharashtra which are similar to each other but the State Government have rejected their claim stating that ‘Dhangad’ and ‘Dhangar’ are two distinct communities having no ethnic affinity. The Committee are of the opinion that if a community have the similar characteristics, their claims should not be rejected on the flimsy grounds like involving correction in the spelling of certain tribes. The Committee, therefore, recommends that the Ministry should take up the matter with the State Government to remove the anomaly in the nomenclature of these communities.

The committee observed that as the State of Maharashtra has not made any recommendations of the Dhangar community they are not included in the amended list.
2002 The Scheduled Tribe list amended. Dhangar/Dhangad included in the list of MP at sr.no. 35, Bihar- 26, Odissa – 53, WB – 33, Chatisghar – 33, Jharkhand – 25. Already in Maharashtra at sr.no. 36.
22/1/2004 PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee declares in a rally at Pandharpur that if BJP lead NDA comes to power it would give ST status to Dhangars.
26/02/2004 State of Maharashtra recommends the inclusion of VJ in the list of SC and NT in the list of Scheduled Tribe
1/06/2004 The list of OBC and NT amended.
6/9/2004 State recommends inclusion of Dhangar in the list of third Schedule.
12/07/2005
6/2/2006 The National Commission for De-notified, Nomadic and Semi Nomadic tribes Constituted on 14/3/2005 assumed its functioning w.e.f. 6th February, 2006. Mr Balkrishna Renake appointed as the Chairman.
1/3/2006 OBC, SBC, VJNT lists amended. (Total castes and sub-castes OBC- 291, SBC – 41, VJ – 16, NT – 37, SC – 59, ST – 47.)
13/09/2006 Agarwal committee report recommends inclusion of Dhangar community in the list of Scheduled Tribe.
21/11/2006
1/5/2007 All India Dhangar Samaj starts Hunger Strike at Latur. One of them, Mr. Gunaji Mhatre goes missing from the venue of Strike and is not yet found. Complaint filed.
10/6/2007 VJNT and SBC Emp and Officers association formed.
9/8/2007 & 17/09/2007 All India Dhangar Samaj Mahasangh made representations to State Government and Central Government for implementation of Scheduled Tribe status.
13/10/2007 Government appointed Renake commission submitted its interim report on the status of some 500 criminal castes who make up to 12 crore population scattered across India. Final report likely to be submitted in July 2008.
/4/2008 Madhya Pradesh sends proposal to the Government of India for inclusion of Dhangar community in the list of Scheduled Tribe.
5/5/2008 All India Dhangar Association finishes the Hunger Strike at Mumbai by taking a rally on Mantralaya on the Birth anniversary of Karl Marx.
27/05/2008 Leaders of Dhangar community across all political parties arrange massive rally at Mumbai for their demands.