Members of Kattunayakan community stage protest n Madurai on Sunday.
| Photo Credit: R. ASHOK
Children and elder members of Kattu Naicken community residing at Sathyamurthy Nagar near Paravai here continued their protest for the third day on Sunday demanding community certificate for their school-going wards.
After about 62 applications for community certificates were rejected by Madurai Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO), they said they were asked by officials to go for an appeal against the RDO’s rejection of the applications.
Despite evidence and orders passed by the Tamil Nadu government confirming their identity, denying community certificates was against their rights, said P. Perumal, a resident.
Starting from 2006, when a report confirming the residents identity as Kattu Naicken was issued by the Tribal Research Centre of Ooty, various subsequent reports were submitted to the State government by both individual commissions and departments, stressing the same, he added.
When several reports confirmed their identities as belonging to Kattu Naicken community, which was designated as a Scheduled Tribe, on what basis was the RDO rejecting their applications, the protesters said.
Mr. Perumal further said the report submitted by the official carrying details for rejecting the community certificate were unclear and baseless. Without substantiating the claim for rejecting the applications, the officials were prolonging the issuance process. The main point mentioned in the RDO’s report was that the community members were not following their customary work, and their facial expressions were not similar to Kattu Naickens.
Rejecting the report, he said how could someone expect them to follow their community’s job even after several years of moving out of it.
“The very reason for our migration, change of business, habits and culture were clearly mentioned in the reports existing with the government. If a new reason is used to reject our claims as tribals, then what about thousands of members who were already possessing the ST community certificates,” he said.
Due to the problem of getting a community certificate for over a year, many students who have completed their school education were still waiting to get enrolled in colleges. “We are not economically strong enough to bear the burden of college fees demanded for students from the general community. Only with a community certificate we can avail benefits such as concession in fees and reservation,” he added.
Madurai RDO Shalini said her rejection of the applications was based on the study conducted by her and anthropologists. “As I found the applicants belonged to Thottiya Naicker, a Most Backward Class, I rejected awarding ST certificates to them.”
But they could appeal to Collector M.S. Sangeetha, who would decide on the genuineness of their claims, she added.
Published – November 10, 2024 08:55 pm IST
