By TCN Staff Reporter,
Kasaragod: The Backward Caste Commission chairman Justice Siva Rajan while sitting at Kasargod District Collectorate conference hall, made it clear that the Urdu Speaking Hanafi Muslims – Turkurs — deserve to come under the privilege of OBC reservation in Kerala.
There are almost one and half lack such Urdu speaking Hanafi Muslims in the state and are often denied of the OBC reservations because they are obliged to mark their caste and sub caste as, Islam – Muslim, which instead is Islam – Mappila for those native Muslims following the Shafi school of thought. The commission had received a complaint on this basis as Turkurs were not receiving any of those OBC privileges enjoyed by the Muslim community in whole.
Commission observed that the Hanafi and Shafi divisions come under the Muslim personal laws and that has nothing to do with denying OBC reservation to a section of the community.
Besides the Turkurs, the Labba and Rawther communities of the southern districts of Kerala too are found to be facing similar problems in obtaining reservation benefits. Earlier it was on the basis of the Mandal Commission Report the Kachi Memon and Lakhni Muslims were exempted from OBC reservation as they by a report submitted before the commission claimed to be rich and not requiring OBC reservations.
Being exempted from OBC reservations these Urdu speaking communities were not having representation in the Government jobs and were often found lagging behind in every sectors of life. It was on the basis of this, the Kasaragod District Panchayath member – Fareeda Sakeer along with Mangalpadi Panchayat Standing Committee Chairman Muhammed Aseem, former District Panchayat member Sheikh Adam Sahib and Kasaragod Block Panchayath Vice-President Musa B Cherkala filed a complaint before the State Backward Caste Commission.
The commission have ordered the Revenue officers to grant the Turkuks with certificates to prove their community and it specifically noted that as all other Muslims in the state come under OBC quota, the Turkuks too deserve to come under the privilege. The commission directed District Collector and ADM to distribute the community members with certificates on this regard and to adopt appropriate actions to ensure OBC privilege to these Muslims. The sitting at the Collectorate was attended by Commission members including Mullurkara Muhammed Ali Sakhafi, K John Britto, Member Secretary Dr Devendra Kumar Dodavath, District Collector Muhammed Sageer and ADM H Dinesh.