Maharashtra has been asked to end discrimination against members of former scavenging castes that are denied caste certificates by government agencies because they have origins in other states.
The National Commission for Safai Karamchari, a statutory body, has passed a resolution asking the Maharashtra government why it is denying caste certificates to communities variously known as Rukhi, Mehtar or Valmiki.
The certificates are necessary to access jobs and seats in educational institutions reserved for scheduled castes or to access government welfare schemes.
KB Krishnamurthy, former member of Parliament and the regional in-charge of the commission, said that the community is denied certificates because of 'procedural' reasons. "This is injustice because members of the community are still engaged in scavenging and cleaning jobs. We have sought details from the Maharashtra government," said Krishnamurthy.
Dinesh Berdia of Sangharsh, a group working for the community said that the discrimination has roots in the community's origins outside the state. Rukhis and other castes from the scheduled list form the majority of conservancy and hospital workers in Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
Harish Purabi, a resident of Shuklaji Street managed to get caste certificates for his three children because his father has a school leaving certificate from a Kamathipura municipal school that mentions his caste as 'Rukhi'. But in a community where most members of the older generation have never attended school, few families have proof of their caste.
Berdia said that most Rukhi families do not have caste certificates because members of the older generations saw no need for such documents. "When I was small, my father who was a sweeper told me that it was my dharma (duty) to work as a cleaner. When I grew up, I realised that there was no such call to duty," said Berdia who has an MBA.
Poonambhai Solanki, a member of the Maharashtra Rukhi Seva Samaj said people who applied for a caste certificates eight months ago are still to get them. "But if you bribe an 'agent', you can get a certificate in a few days," said Solanki.
