Hindu Adiyans protest for community certificates

The protestors said they belonged to the Hindu Adiyan community, an ST, and they had been fighting to get a certificate for more than 15 years. Without it, their children were not eligible for government scholarships or jobs. “The officials told us that the name of our community was not on the ST list,” O Kannan, a ward member said. 

The Hindu Adiyans have descended from various parts of the southern states and were given houses after they formed a colony in Nagamangalam. The men sell ‘thristi’ dolls, hand made by the women, for a living, but mostly get by through beggary. The government constructed an ST Welfare middle school where almost 120 students from the colony are educated. While most students drop out of school after Class 8, a few pursue higher secondary education outside and have done well too. 

M Rengasamy scored 926 marks in his Plus-2 exam this year, but could not get a seat in college as he did not have a community certificate and could not apply under the reserved category. Police officials asked the group to submit a petition to the Collector who assured them the community certificates after a detailed study.