Quota: Protesting Banjaras stone BSY's house, injure 4 cops

Four police personnel were injured in Shikaripur town of Shivamogga district on Monday when a protest by Banjaras turned violent.

Thousands of people of the Banjara community, who also stoned the windows of former chief minister B S Yediyurappa’s house, were protesting against the state government’s decision recommending implementation of the Justice A J Sadashiva panel report on internal reservation among Scheduled Castes.

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Earlier in the day, they protested at Ambedkar Circle in the town, raising slogans against the government and burning flex boards of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Yediyurappa.

Later, they marched towards Yediyurappa’s house at Malera Keri in the town. The agitators pulled down two barricades put up by the police and headed towards the BJP leader’s house. When the police caned the protesters to stop them, they hurled stones and slippers at the former CM’s house. Shikaripur rural police station inspector Lakshman, town station sub-inspector Manjunath Koppaluru, constables Shankara Gowda and Kantharaju sustained head injuries in the melee.

The protesters also burnt sarees distributed to them by BJP workers on Yediyurappa’s birthday and damaged flex boards with the images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Yediyurappa. Police personnel were deployed in various parts of the town. Superintendent of police G K Mithun Kumar told DH no arrests have been made and they are examining the CCTV footage to identify the suspects after which they will be booked.

The Banjaras contend that their share of reservation would come down if the Justice Sadashiva Commission report is implemented.

The Justice Sadashiva commission, which was set up in 2005, gave its report to the government in 2012 when D V Sadananda Gowda was chief minister. It had suggested the reclassification of 101 castes among SCs into four sub-sects. Since then, members of Banjara, Bhovi, Koracha, Korama and other communities have been opposing the panel report. They argued that all 101 sub-castes of the Scheduled Caste communities are divided into four groups in the report. Out of 15% reservation, 6% is allotted to left and 5% to right communities. But the remaining 99 sub-castes are assigned only 4% reservation. Therefore, the government should reject the report, they urged.