Anger Mounts Over Reservation Amendment Bill 2025, SC ST OBC Leaders Submit Memorandum

Jammu, 24.03.2025: A massive protest and gherao took place in Jammu as SC, ST, and OBC communities voiced their strong opposition to the proposed Reservation Amendment Bill 2025. The bill, introduced by MLA Bashir Ahmed Veeri, seeks to reduce reservation quotas for these communities, sparking widespread resentment and agitation.

Protesters gathered in large numbers at the Press Club Jammu, raising slogans against the bill and demanding its immediate rejection. They stressed that the proposed amendments would further marginalize the SC, ST, and OBC communities and deprive them of their constitutional rights. Their demands included an increase in reservation quotas, with SC reservations raised from 8% to 10%, ST-I from 10% to 12%, and OBC from 8% to 27%. Additionally, they called for the restoration of reservation in promotions, as per the judgment of the Hon’ble CAT and the High Court of J&K.

Rejecting the OBC Commission’s report on Urban Local Body (ULB) reservations, the protesters claimed it was based on inaccurate data provided by District Commissioners and significantly underestimated the OBC population. They demanded a fresh door-to-door survey to ensure accurate representation. Another major demand was the removal of the “Rural/Village” tag from the Central OBC List, as communities like Nai, Kumhar, Teeli, and Dhobi face unfair categorization based on residency.

Concerns were raised regarding the weak enforcement of the SC & ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, as police authorities often fail to add relevant sections of the POA Act in cases involving SC/STs. Protesters urged for immediate and strict enforcement of the law. They also demanded the restoration of the SC roster point as per SRO-294, as the recent change in roster points (S.O. 305 dated 21.04.2024) negatively impacted SC candidates. The reduction of age relaxation for SC/ST candidates from five years to three years was also opposed, with protesters calling for the reinstatement of the five-year relaxation in line with Government of India norms.

The protesters emphasized the need to fill backlog vacancies for SC/ST/OBC candidates and called for a special recruitment drive. They demanded that all departments maintain category-wise reservation roster registers for transparency and that each Head of Department appoint a Nodal Officer to oversee the correct implementation of reservation policies. The revival of Government Advisory & Development Boards for SC/ST/OBCs was also highlighted as necessary for addressing community grievances.

Land rights were a crucial aspect of the protest, with demands for the restoration of state land ownership rights for SC/ST/OBCs, especially for those affected by the abrogation of the Roshni Scheme. Protesters also urged the government to allocate 32 kanals of state land per agricultural family from these communities and to prevent the allocation of state land to outsiders. They further demanded a caste-based census to ensure proportionate allocation of reservations and resources.

The absence of SC and OBC members in the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) was strongly criticized, with protesters calling for the immediate appointment of representatives from these communities. Concerns over the privatization of public utilities such as PDD, PHE, and JSD were also raised, as these essential services were built with public funds. Protesters demanded the filling of vacant government posts and the timely disbursement of SC/ST/OBC scholarships at the beginning of each academic session.

Additional demands included the regularization of Safai Karamcharis, the establishment of English medium schools for their children, and the restoration of the old pension scheme for employees, as the current system lacks social security benefits. A memorandum outlining these demands was submitted to the Chief Minister’s Office, emphasizing the urgent need for a caste census, increased reservation quotas, and the restoration of reservation in promotions.

The protest march proceeded towards the Assembly, where the police halted the demonstrators at Indra Chowk. A government magistrate received the memorandum and assured the protesters that it would be submitted to the Chief Minister’s Office for further consideration.

Prominent speakers at the protest included R K Kalsotra, Bansi Lal Choudhary, Faqir Chand Satia, Amir-ud-din Kasana, Ghulam Hussain Sheer-Gujri, Ramesh Uttama, Kali Dass Bangotra, Dr. Ramesh Kaith, Ajay Thappa, Dr. A C Bhagat, Ashik Ali Wattal, Balwant Katria, Raj Kumar Chalotra, Kasturi Lal Basotra, A N Bhagat, Manoj Kumar, Chuni Lal Mangotra, Roop Lal Bhagat, Madan Lal Chalotra, Ramesh Sarmal, Amar Nath, Ashraf Ali, Narinder Khalsa, Sain Dass Verma, Raj Kumar Sodi, Sony Parajapati, Sarshan Mehra, Ajay Kumar, Sham Lal Mehra, Vikas Mehra, Ravi Dogra, Nazir Ahames Teli, Sarvjeet Dogra, Des Raj, Choudhary Iqbal, and many others.