Palghar, October 15, 2025: Thousands of tribals in Palghar district today took out a grand Mahamorcha in front of the District Collector's office against the demand to include the Banjaras and Dhangars in Maharashtra's Scheduled Tribe (ST) reservation. Although the march was peaceful, the slogans made in it made clear the dissatisfaction of the community and the determination for their rights. The march, which had more than 50,000 participants, brought the traffic system in Palghar city to a standstill for some time. The district administration had deployed police forces for the security of the march, while the marchers carried banners, placards and flags and raised slogans against the government's policies. Finally, the marchers submitted a memorandum of demands to the District Collector, which will be sent to the state government.
This march is not just a part of local discontent, but also a new chapter in an old controversy over the reservation policy in Maharashtra. The Banjara and Dhangar communities, who are currently included in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category, have been demanding Scheduled Tribe reservation for the last 20 years. The population of these communities in Maharashtra is around 5-6 lakh, of which around 3 lakh are Banjaras and 2-3 lakh are Dhangars. The community mainly lives in tribal-dominated areas like Palghar, Nashik, Thane. They are demanding that they be recognised as tribals due to their socio-economic backwardness, nomadic lifestyle and land rights issues. However, today's march has become more intense as the state government has rejected this demand many times in the past.
The march was led by activists of Banjara Seva Sangh and Dhangar Samaj organisations. At the beginning of the march, a prominent leader of Banjara Seva Sangh said, "We have been fighting for ST status for 20 years. The government cannot ignore our suffering. It is injustice that our children are deprived of education and job opportunities." Similarly, a leader of the Dhangar community said, "Farmers and labourers in our community are not getting proper opportunities. OBC reservation is not enough; we must get ST status. Otherwise, we will protest further." Local political leaders and representatives of opposition parties who participated in the march also supported this demand. They said, "We will throw resignations at those who attack the rights of tribals. These reservation issues are stuck due to political interests, but we will fight peacefully." In the backdrop of the march, if we talk about the history of reservation policy in Maharashtra, there is 7 to 8 percent reservation for Scheduled Tribes, which benefits more than 100 tribal tribes. However, the Banjara and Dhangar communities have been kept in the OBC category since the 1990s, which gives them a place in only 19 percent of the OBC quota. Activists say that these communities need ST status due to their nomadic lifestyle, existence dependent on agriculture and animal husbandry, and discrimination in tribal areas. Applications have been made to the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes since 2004, and similar marches and protests were held in 2018 and 2022 as well. At that time, the government gave partial assurances, but no actual action was taken. Now, the state's Tribal Development Minister said, "This issue is under study by the committee. A decision will be taken based on evidence." However, the District Collector said, "The demands will be sent to the state government, protest peacefully."
The women participating in this march also played a special role. A female activist said, "Our daughters are not getting scholarships, they are not getting jobs. If we get this reservation, our society will stand." The youth in the march have also made this movement viral on social media, using the hashtag #BanjaraDhangarSTReservation. The march, which passed through the main roads of Palghar city, caused some inconvenience to local traders and residents, but the majority supported this demand.
If we give detailed information about the demands, the marchers have demanded immediate inclusion of Banjaras and Dhangars in the ST reservation. Apart from this, they have also demanded a special survey to study their tribal characteristics, at least 5 percent reservation in ST quota and special welfare schemes for education and agriculture. They also demanded withdrawal of policies under OBC. After this statement was submitted to the District Magistrate, the march ended peacefully.
Regarding future actions, the organizations have called for a state-wide agitation if their demands are not met within 30 days. These include a sit-in protest in Mumbai, filing a petition in the High Court and conducting awareness campaigns in rural areas. It was also said that a meeting with state officials will be held next month. This march is not limited to Palghar only, but is linked to the reservation demands of nomadic tribes in other states like Karnataka and Rajasthan.
This incident has given a new impetus to the reservation debate in Maharashtra and has increased pressure on the government. Social Justice