False caste claims: Issue of Lingayat-Jangamas claiming to be Beda Jangamas to get reservation benefit comes to fore again

Controversy arises as Lingayats claim to be Beda Jangamas for reservation benefits, sparking population increase concerns.

A huge jump in the population of Beda Jangama community during the enumeration for Socio-Economic and Educational Survey conducted by H. Kantharaj-headed Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes had raised eye brows and was seen as caused by many belonging to Lingayat Jangamas allegedly counting themselves as Beda Jangamas.

The reservation benefits that Beda Jangamas or Buduga Jangamas, a community that is part of notified Scheduled Castes (SC) list, was seen as a reason for many Jangamas, coming under the larger Veerashaiava-Lingayats grouping, classified as other backward classes (OBCs), choosing to identify themselves as Beda Jangama, which is among the nomadic SCs.

As enumeration of SCs for the purpose of internal reservation is under way, controversies surrounding Beda Jangama claims have emerged again. While the Food and Civil Supplies Minister K.H. Muniyappa has flagged the issue of Lingayats counting themselves wrongly to avail reservation benefits, the Beda Jangama community itself went to court flagging another issue.

It called “discriminatory” the retired judge H.N. Nagmohan Das-led Commission on Internal Reservation making showing of caste certificates mandatory for the community members during enumeration. They pointed out that the Beda Jangama caste certificate issual had been stopped for several years, following the “fake certificate” controversy, and therefore, many genuine community members also did not have certificates.

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“Though we initially made caste certificate mandatory for Beda Jangamas because of the problems associated with a number of community members holding caste certificate. However, later, we made any one of the three – caste certificate, Aaadhaar or BPL cards - to be mandatory during enumeration,” commission sources said.

Mr. Nagmohan Das also acknowledged that the higher number of Beda Jangamas in the survey could upset the balance. “There is a standard benchmark to track population growth. Any huge increase should be noted. It is up to the government to decide,” he told presspersons recently. He also said that the survey cannot keep out those who have caste certificate.