Liberated from slavery of decades, say Valmikis, WPRs

Dinesh Manhotra
Tribune News Service
Jammu, August 5

Radhia Gill, a Valmiki girl who has challenged constitutional validity of Article 35A in the Supreme Court, could not control her emotions when the Rajya Sabha passed the Bill to abolish Article 370 as this decision would open the doors for her to adopt the profession of her choice.

“This action of the Union Government has liberated us from decades-old slavery as the so-called special status of J&K has debarred highly qualified youths of our community from getting respectable government jobs except the job of sweepers,” an emotive Radhika told The Tribune.

Radhika, one of the top athletes of the state, had shown her excellence at the 14th state athletics meet held in the year 2018, but when comes the question of employment, she was only eligible for the job of sweeper due to the provisions of Article 35A.

“Today is the real freedom for us,” said another Valimiki youth, Eklavya, who did her post graduation in political science, but was eligible only for the job of sweeper in the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC).

Amid strict restrictions, over a dozen Valimiki families were watching the Rajya Sabha debate on television in Maharishi Valimiki Temple Gandhi Nagar. Educated youths of these families were very emotional when the Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha.

Members of this community have reason to be delighted as the Valmiki Samaj, living in Jammu since 1957, is deprived of all constitutional and human rights due to the so-called separate constitution of the state. As Valmikis are denied permanent resident certificates (PRCs) like other residents of J&K, their highly qualified youth are debarred from claiming any government job in the state. They are entitled only for the job of sweeper in J&K.

Same is the story of West Pakistani Refugees (WPRs), who were denied citizenship rights due to the “special status” of J&K.

Victims of the Partition holocaust West Pakistani Refugees, a majority of them Dalits and OBCs, are living in J&K since 1957, but were being denied citizenship rights due to Article 35A. “The Article is not only unconstitutional but also an inhuman clause which is the main hurdle in solving our basic issues,” said Labha Ram Gandhi, leader of these refugees.