NCBC probing West Bengal’s State OBC list; Chair Hansraj asks why more Muslim communities than Hindu

Acting upon allegations that illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Rohingyas from Myanmar were being allowed to take up reservation in West Bengal, the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) has now launched an investigation into the State’s OBC list, Commission Chair Hansraj Gangaram Ahir said.

Acting upon allegations that illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Rohingyas from Myanmar were being allowed to take up reservation in West Bengal, the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) has now launched an investigation into the State’s OBC (Other Backward Classes) list, Commission Chair Hansraj Gangaram Ahir said on June 8.

The NCBC Chair, at a press conference in New Delhi, said, “When we visited the State in February this year, we took up the matter and questioned how there were more Muslim OBC castes than Hindu OBC castes in the State, when the absolute population of Hindus in the State is clearly higher. They did not have satisfactory replies.”  

Mr. Ahir added that there was “clearly something wrong” with the State OBC list in West Bengal and that the NCBC is committed to removing communities that were added without due procedure. He said that nearly 90% of the communities in the Category A (Most backward) list were Muslim and similarly more than half of the communities in Category B were also Muslim. 

According to the State government’s OBC list, 103 out of the total 180 communities are categorised as Muslim communities — most of them placed in the Category A list. 

The NCBC chair went on to say that they had sought detailed clarifications from the State government about this. “First, they told us orally that these Muslim communities were Hindus before and had eventually converted. But when we came back to Delhi, they sent a written reply saying there is no proof that all these communities had converted from Hinduism.”

While speaking about the issue, Mr. Ahir clarified, “These issues should not be seen as the OBC Commission taking a stand against Muslims. I am aware that there are many Muslim communities entitled to reservation and they should not be deprived of their benefits either.”

But this is about the State government allowing reservation to be taken up by those not entitled to it “in order to appease some communities”, Mr. Ahir said. When asked which particular communities the Commission is looking at in its investigations, the NCBC chair said, “We are going to do an in-depth inquiry in the coming weeks. Addition of communities like this has been done for years now.”