Kunbi certificates for Marathas: Panel to visit Marathwada from Oct 11 to 23

The panel formed by the Maharashtra government to determine the standard operating procedure (SOP) to give Kunbi caste certificates to Marathas will visit Marathwada between October 11 and 23, an official said on Friday.

An official release said the panel, headed by retired judge Sandeep Shinde, has appealed to people to provide (Hyderabad) Nizam-era documents, genealogy, educational and revenue proofs, agreements signed during that era, and other related documents.

Additional chief secretary (revenue), principal secretary (law and justice), and district collectors of concerned districts will be members of the panel, while Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (formerly Aurangabad) divisional commissioner will be its member-secretary.

Kunbis are part of the Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

The panel will have its first meeting at the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar divisional commissioner's office on October 11, followed by one at the Jalna collectorate on October 12.

It will hold a meeting on October 16 at the Parbhani collector office, in Hingoli collector office on October 17 and in Nanded collector office on October 18.

The panel will hold a meeting at the Latur collector office on October 21, at the Dharashiv (formerly Osmanabad) collector Office on October 22 and at the Beed collector office on October 23.

The announcement of the panel was made by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on September 6 following a hunger strike by Maratha quota leader Manoj Jarange-Patil in Jalna.

The Marathwada region was under the rule of Hyderabad Nizam till it was liberated and merged with Maharashtra in September 1948.