On June 13, in Udupi, a sit-in protest was led by the Karnataka Adivasi Rights Coordination Committee in front of the District Collector's office in Manipal. The protest demanded the extension of a special nutritional food scheme to the Hasla community, a backward tribe residing in the foothills of the Western Ghats in Udupi district. The protesters also sought a genealogical study and subsequent Scheduled Tribe status for the community. Following the protest, a delegation met with the Udupi District Collector and submitted a detailed plea for the community's rights. The delegation emphasized that while the Hasala community is recognized as a Scheduled Caste in Udupi, it is also classified as a Scheduled Caste in neighboring districts such as Shimoga, Chikkamagaluru, and Hassan. This discrepancy has resulted in the community being deprived of various constitutional rights and government facilities. The District Collector acknowledged the seriousness of the issue and instructed officials to prepare a proposal for an ethnographic study on the Hasala community. The study will be submitted to the Karnataka Tribal Research Institute through the Department of Integrated Tribal Development Plan. The Karnataka Adivasi Rights Coordination Committee has vowed to continue its struggle, arguing that the community's caste status should not change based on the district they reside in.
Image for illustration purposes only
📰 Source: Vartha Bharati Udupi