Members of the Halumata Samaja (Kurubas), accompanied by a herd of sheep, breached police security around the Suvarna Soudha and almost picketed the Soudha to press for the inclusion of the community in the Scheduled Tribes category.
The members, under the banner of Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna Yuva Gharjane, had been allotted tent number 7 at the protest venue near the Soudha.
They staged a day-long protest at the tent. In the afternoon, as over 1,000 sheep arrived on the national highway, they rushed there.
Over 50 members, raising slogans in support of their demand, then moved towards the Soudha, where the winter session of the legislature is underway, along with the sheep.
The attempt by the Kurubas to picket the Soudha took the police off guard.
There was chaos on the national highway as the police tried to stop them. The shepherds staged a protest even as the police made efforts to pacify them.
Traffic movement was severely affected on the highway. The police, without resorting to force, finally managed to chase away the protestors and the sheep. Several of them were taken into preventive custody and sent to the Hirebagewadi police station. They were later released by the police.
Earlier, the protesters said the community had been brought under the ST category in Kodagu district.
The inclusion of the Kurubas in the ST category will not affect the reservation benefits of the tribal people as the Constitution provides for a proportionate increase of reservation benefits based on the population of the community, the protesters said.
Police said the protesters took advantage of the moving flock of sheep to draw the attention of the government.
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