Students in Kadambur Hills continue stir demanding ST community certificates

Malayali Gounder students protest for ST status in Kadambur hills, boycotting classes for recognition and equal opportunities.

School and college students from the Malayali Gounder community in Kadambur hills continued their protest for a second consecutive day on Tuesday, demanding Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. The students boycotted their classes and remained in their respective villages to participate in the protest.

There are over 32,500 members of the Malayali community living in the hill areas, currently categorised under the ‘Other Caste’ list. However, their counterparts in Dharmapuri, the Shevaroyan Hills in Salem, Kolli Hills in Namakkal, and a few other districts are recognised as ST, which grants them access to reservations in educational institutions, government jobs, and various welfare measures.

When Coimbatore was bifurcated in 1979, the Malayali Gounder community members were not included in the ST category. Since then, they have been engaged in a prolonged struggle to be added to the ST list and have the ‘Gounder’ tag removed from their designation.

On Monday, students from villages under Guthiyalathur Panchayat began their indefinite protest, refusing to attend school or college. Despite efforts by Sathyamangalam Tahsildar Sakthivel to persuade them to end the protest, the students, alongside their parents, continued to demand ST recognition for their community.