Protest to implement Sadashiva panel report

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Madiga Reservation Horatta Samithi (MRHS) held a protest on Thursday at Freedom Park demanding higher percentage of reservations and the implementation of the Justice AJ Sadashiva Commission report.

Submitted in 2012, the commission had recommended that the Scheduled Caste category be subdivided in proportion to the population of the various communities within it. The panel recommended internal reservation from the existing 15 per cent for SCs, for which different sub-castes were clubbed into four categories of beneficiaries.

The demand for internal reservation has been there for over 30 years. The current protest began on December 11 and it is drawing people from Yadgir, Chikkamagaluru, Raichur, and other districts of Karnataka. Around 200 to 300 people are present every day at Freedom Park.

Mallikarjuna, a social worker from Yadgiri said, “We won’t stop the protest until we hear from the Chief Minister”. He said the Sadashiva commission implications have not been implemented and hence we are protesting for justice. We will protest until justice is served, said another protester.

Earlier on December 6, the death anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar, Dalit organisations cutting across the caste divide passed a resolution demanding the Karnataka government provide for internal reservation in accordance with population.