Mail News Service
Jamshedpur, Feb 9: The Kudmi community has announced a large-scale protest, known as the “Rail Teka” movement, to demand Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. The agitation, set to begin on September 20, will disrupt train services at 100 railway stations across Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha. The decision was finalized during a community meeting in Murguma, West Bengal, attended by thousands of Kudmi representatives.
Ajit Prasad Mahato, Chief Patron of the Kudmi Samaj, stated that despite following all constitutional procedures, the community’s demand for ST status has been ignored. “No one is serious about our demands. This movement will show both state and central leaders that we will not back down until our voices are heard,” he said. The meeting saw participation from key Kudmi leaders, including Central President Shashank Shekhar Mahato, Dr. Sujit Kumar Mahato and Basant Mahanta.
The community passed several resolutions, including writing “Kudmali” as their mother tongue and “Kudmi” as their caste in the 2025 census. They also resolved to conduct traditional birth, marriage and funeral rituals while rejecting dowry practices, warning of social boycotts for those who take or demand dowry. The Kudmi leaders further stated that if caste-based census data is not collected, the community will oppose the entire census process.
