Mumbai: The state government’s revenue department has withdrawn the clarification issued on Wednesday, stating that ‘Dhangar’ should be read as ‘Dhangad’ vis-à-vis inclusion of the Dhangar community in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category. The move came after statewide protests from the Dhangar community, which has been drawing benefits such as exemptions on property tax and land purchase discounts meant for tribals under the ST category.
In 1996, the revenue and forest department purportedly mistakenly included the Dhangar community under the ST category. It realised the “error” only after 28 years and issued a clarification on Wednesday. However, after protests from Dhangars, it had to withdraw the clarification overnight. Dhangar leaders have demanded action against the official who issued the correction.
In the national tribal survey, the Dhangar community was classified as a tribal group. The state government also submitted an affidavit in court, stating that the ‘Dhangad’ caste does not exist. Five to six other states have submitted similar affidavits. These states have extended all tribal benefits to the Dhangar community, which confirms that the Dhangars are indeed tribals.
Dhangar leader Prakash Shendge said, “We have presented five laws related to tribal benefits to the state government. These include the law on exemption from court fee stamps, the law exempting tribals from property taxes, and the law regarding atrocities.