MARGAO
In a major setback to Goa’s Dhangar community, the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs has rejected the community’s long-standing demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
The decision has triggered widespread disappointment and resentment among community leaders, who expressed anger over being kept in the dark about the development for more than two months.
Community leaders informed that the Union Tribal Affairs Ministry took the decision on April 1, and the communication reportedly reached the Goa government on April 8. However, members of the Dhangar community claim they were not informed about the rejection until recently.
Leaders of the All Goa Dhangar Samaj, led by president Chandrakant Kavlekar, convened a meeting at the Multipurpose Hall in Borda on Sunday to discuss the implications of the decision and chart the community’s future course of action.
Addressing the media after the meeting, Kavlekar expressed shock over the Union Tribal Welfare ministry’s decision, questioning the basis for rejecting the demand when the application had reportedly been under consideration by the Registrar General of India (RGI) for several years.
“We fail to understand why the Union Tribal Affairs Ministry has rejected our demand. As far as we know, the Registrar General of India had not rejected our long-pending application. We do not understand how the ministry arrived at this decision,” Kavlekar said.
He announced that a delegation of the Dhangar Samaj would soon meet Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and request him to lead a delegation to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
“We want the Chief Minister to discuss the matter with the Union Home Minister and help undo the injustice caused by this decision. We will urge the Centre to reconsider and withdraw the rejection,” he said.
Kavlekar, however, acknowledged the support extended by the state government towards the community’s demand. He noted that the Goa government had previously notified the Gavli-Dhangar community in the Official Gazette and expressed confidence that the Chief Minister would continue supporting their cause.
“Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has always been supportive of our demand for ST status. I am confident he will take up the matter at the appropriate level,” he added.
Kavlekar also questioned repeated comparisons between Goa’s Dhangar community and their counterparts in Maharashtra. “Whenever our demand is discussed, people point out that Dhangars in Maharashtra have not been granted ST status. Why should Goa’s Dhangars be constantly compared with those in Maharashtra? Our case should be considered on its own merits,” he said.
Some community leaders also expressed concern over what they perceive as a lack of support from Goa’s existing ST communities — the Gawdas, Kunbis and Velips.
“The Dhangars stood alongside the Gawdas, Kunbis and Velips in the struggle for Scheduled Tribe status from 1997. While those communities were granted ST status in 2003, our demand remains unresolved. At times, we wonder whether they have abandoned us in this fight,” a community leader said.
The Dhangar community has been pursuing ST status for decades, arguing that it would provide greater access to constitutional safeguards and welfare benefits. Following the latest development, community leaders have indicated that they will intensify efforts to secure political and administrative intervention for reconsideration of their demand.
