The reservation system still stokes a fire among the Indian masses and is a polarising topic.
Some
men brandish swords, others pelt stones, a few others torch a tire
and together they howl, all the while stomping together to railway
tracks to bring either their state or, in some cases, the country to
a standstill. These images have become familiar to Indians, who have
these pictures roaring out of the front pages of their newspapers and
on their TV screens on an uncomfortably frequent basis.
The
protesters gather in a show of strength not to impose their
superiority but to convince the nation that they need reservation to
be on an equal footing with the rest.
The
why of reservation: When India gained independence in 1947, the new
constitution provided reservation to scheduled castes and tribes --
which were seen as the ones who had historically been discriminated
against -- in educational institutions, government jobs and even
seats in parliament and the state assemblies. The idea was to provide
them with an "equal opportunity" in the new India.
Not
everybody was enthused by the idea though, least of all the framer of
the constitution, Dr. B R Ambedkar who argued that reservation alone
wouldn't change the social status of Dalits. He agreed to
reservation, but wanted it to be discontinued 10 years after the
adoption of the Constitution.
In
1989, based on the recommendations of the Mandal Commission, the VP
Singh-led government extended the benefits to Other Backward Classes
(OBCs).
As
years rolled by, more and more groups started demanding reservation
and many took violent routes to get their voice heard.
Below
are the prominent quota stirs that took place in India since 2014:
Marathas,
a politically-influential community constituting around 30 per cent
of the state's population, have been agitating to press their demand
for reservation in government jobs and education.
Three
protesters had died in the last one week during the ongoing agitation
by the Maratha community, which is seeking 16 per cent quota in
government jobs and education.
The
politically influential community constitutes around 30 per cent of
the state's population.
The
community had earlier taken out silent marches across the state to
highlight their demands, prominent among them being that of
reservation.
However,
their latest round of agitation has taken a violent turn.
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