Mogera community demands inclusion in Group II of SCs

Karnataka Mogera Sangha has urged the State government to include Mogera community in Group II of Scheduled Caste (SC) communities.

It will help the community members avail benefit of internal reservation of 5.5% of the total 17% reservation for Scheduled Caste, according to the Sangha’s president Nandaraj Sankesh.

Addressing press persons in Mangaluru on Monday he said that a representation in this connection was given by a delegation of the Sangh to former High Court Judge H.N. Nagamohan Das in Bengaluru on January 27. Mr. Das heads the single-member commission on internal reservation.

Mr. Sankesh said Mogera community has a rich cultural history and they are still treated as untouchables. They have good presence in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Mysuru and Chamarajanagar districts. There were 82,807 community members as per 2011 census. Their number has increased to more than 1.5 lakh in the last 14 years.

Acting on the report of the committee headed by the then Minister J.C. Madhuswamy, the BJP government included Mogera community, along with 89 other castes, in the Group IV, for which there is internal reservation of 1%. “By including Mogeras in the Group IV that has communities with least number of people, the members of Mogera community, who are have larger number of people in the four districts, have practically been denied of reservation,” Mr. Sankesh said.

The Sangh’s delegation met Mr. Das. The former Judge assured of positive action on Sangh’s representation, Mr. Sankesh claimed.