The Panchamasali Reservation Agitation Committee is set to hold a large-scale protest in Belagavi on December 10, coinciding with the Karnataka Assembly’s winter session. The decision was announced by Sri Basava Jaya Mrityunjaya Swamiji of Kudalasangama, the honorary president of the committee, during a press conference in Chikkodi on December 3.
Initially scheduled for December 9, the protest date was shifted to December 10 to accommodate final preparations. Thousands of farmers and Panchamasali community members, along with over 5,000 tractors, are expected to participate, highlighting the community’s decade-long demand for recategorization within the Other Backward Classes (OBC) from the 3B to the 2A category.
Swamiji urged the community to participate en masse, stating, “We are not concerned about who joins or who doesn’t. Our fight will continue until our demands are met.”
The 2A category would provide the community with greater access to government benefits, including enhanced reservation quotas in education, government jobs, and welfare schemes. This shift is seen as crucial for the social, economic, and political empowerment of the Panchamasali community.
The community has expressed frustration over unfulfilled promises made by successive governments, including those led by former Chief Ministers BS Yediyurappa, Basavaraj Bommai, and Jagadish Shettar. Previous efforts, such as hunger strikes and rallies, have failed to bring about the desired changes, prompting the community to intensify their agitation.
Swamiji emphasized that no attempts to disrupt the protest would be tolerated. “If any untoward incidents occur, the Karnataka government will bear full responsibility,” he warned.
A pre-protest meeting is planned for December 7 in Belagavi to finalize the arrangements. The Panchamasali community remains resolute in their demand for re-categorisation, vowing to continue their struggle until justice is achieved.
