Jharkhand Govt begins process on Mazhabi Rangreta Community’s SC status demand

Jamshedpur: The long-pending demand for Scheduled Caste (SC) status and related constitutional benefits for the Mazhabi Rangreta (Sikh) community in Jharkhand has gained fresh momentum after Vice-Chairman of the Jharkhand State Minorities Commission Jyoti Singh Matharu submitted a formal representation to Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who has directed the concerned department to examine the matter.

The development follows a community gathering held at Birsanagar Gurudwara in Jamshedpur on July 12, where members of the Mazhabi Rangreta community urged the state government to extend SC certificates and reservation benefits similar to those available to the community in several other states.

The event witnessed the participation of office-bearers of various Gurudwaras and members of the Mazhabi Rangreta community. Jyoti Singh Matharu, Vice-Chairman of the Jharkhand State Minorities Commission, attended the programme as the chief guest.

During the event, the community honoured him with a ‘Saropa’ and submitted a memorandum requesting that the Mazhabi Rangreta community in Jharkhand be granted Scheduled Caste certificates and access to reservation and other government welfare benefits.

The memorandum stated that members of the community receive such benefits in states including Punjab, Delhi, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh, but remain ineligible in Jharkhand due to the absence of SC recognition.

Addressing the gathering, Matharu assured community members that he would make every effort to pursue what he described as their legitimate demand.

Acting on the assurance, he submitted an official letter (Reference No. 679) to Chief Minister Hemant Soren on July 15, seeking appropriate action on the issue.

According to community representatives, Chief Minister Hemant Soren has forwarded the matter to the concerned department with instructions to examine the proposal and take necessary action.

The move has raised hopes among members of the Mazhabi Rangreta community, who believe recognition would enable eligible families to access reservation in education and government employment, along with other constitutional and welfare benefits.

Community leaders thanked Jyoti Singh Matharu for taking up the issue promptly with the state government.

Among those expressing appreciation were Roshan Singh, president of Birsanagar Gurudwara; Daljit Singh, president of Namda Basti Gurudwara; Satbir Singh, president of Tuiladungri Gurudwara; Manjit Singh Gill, president of Rangreta Mahasabha Tata Nagar; along with Jasbir Singh, Gulshan Singh, Manjit Singh Manju, Kundan Singh, Kuldeep Singh, Kamaljit Singh, Rajender Singh Tarsikka, Harjit Singh, Lakhbir Singh, Dalbir Singh and Rajender Singh. Spokesperson Sardar Pratap Singh said members are hopeful that the government’s initiative will lead to a positive outcome on their long-standing demand.