Valmikis stage dharna, seek Schedule Tribe tag

Kurnool: Valmiki Reservation Porata Samiti (VRPS) leaders staged a protest in front of the Collectorate demanding to include the community under Schedule Tribe (ST) list in the state. Raising slogans, a large number of agitators tried to barge into the Collectorate. However, their efforts were foiled by the police personnel from fourth town police station.

Sensing the situation going out of control, the police resorted to lathi charge and dispersed the agitators. Later, the agitators staged a road blockade at NTR circle and disrupted the traffic.

Some irate agitators even took an extreme step and broke the window panes of a bus and two autos. With this the police arrested some agitators and shifted them to fourth town police station. Speaking to media, VRPS state leader Subash Chandrabose said that the samithi has been demanding the community to be included under SC list from the BC list.

In several other parts of the state, the community has been identified under Schedule Tribe (ST) category, he said and added the Chief Minister should consider their demand genuinely and threatened to launch statewide agitation if the government failed to do justice to community.

In the evening, the police released the arrested agitators and filed petty cases on those who broke the glass panes of buses and autos. Prior to the protest before the collectorate, the VRPS leaders took out a huge rally in the city.