Latest news with #Kurmali
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Kurmis to launch indefinite ‘rail roko' stir in three states
1 2 Jamshedpur: The Adivasi Kurmi Samaj (AKS) announced indefinite 'rail roko' agitation across Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Odisha from September 20 in support of their demands, including Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the Kurmi community. "We have called the rail roko, and several like-minded outfits, which are on the same page regarding the issues of the Adivasi Kurmi community, will join us in making the agitation a total success," said AKS president Shanshak Shekhar Mahato. The outfit held its meeting at Kurmi Bhavan in Rugdi under Chandil block of Seraikela-Kharsawan district on Sunday, during which members from the three states attended. AKS secretary Gunadham Mutruwar said, "Apart from the demand for Adivasi status for the Kurmi community, the outfit demands recognition of Kurmi as Adivasi in the religion column in the 2026 national population census, inclusion of Kurmali language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, amendment of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA) 1996 to include the conventional panchayat system of the Kurmis. " "The Wilkinson Rule of 1937, popularly known as the Manki-Munda rule, is an adaptation of the self-rule system of the Kurmis, which was prevalent for centuries til the colonial rule," he claimed. In 2022 and 2023, the rail roko agitation of the Kurmis caused huge inconvenience to rail commuters, and the railways suffered massive revenue losses as, on both occasions, the agitation lasted five days. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
Time of India
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Make Kurmali language regional and include it in BBMKU syllabi: Students
Dhanbad: Demanding inclusion of Kurmali language in the university syllabus, hundreds of students launched a protest march from the BBM College in Baliapur to the Binod Bihari Mahto Koyalanchal University (BBMKU) Bhelatand on Tuesday. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The 10-km march saw participation from students of various colleges from Dhanbad and Bokaro districts. Social workers and local leaders also joined and showed solidarity with the students. The march began with a gathering at BBM College, where student leaders addressed the crowd, highlighting the Kurmali language's importance towards bringing regional unity and giving a distinct cultural identity. Leading the procession, student leader Yugdeo Mahtha strongly criticised the university administration for allegedly ignoring the students' other demands. "Since its establishment in 2017, BBMKU has not conducted student elections. This shows the administration's apathy towards the students' concerns," Mahtha said, addressing the protestors on the university campus. "Kurmali is not just a language, it is our identity. It must be treated equally like other regional languages and included in the curriculum without delay," he said. The students also submitted a memorandum of their demands to the vice-chancellor's office though the officer was not present. Their primary demand is the introduction of PG courses in Kurmali as well as their inclusion in the B Ed curriculum. The protesters emphasised that promoting Kurmali in academics would not only preserve the language but also create employment opportunities for the Kurmali speakers across the state. "Thousands of Kurmali-speaking people live in Jharkhand. By including it in the syllabi, the state can ensure better representation and jobs for the native speakers," said Priyanka Kumari, one of the protesting students. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now While the protest ended peacefully, the agitators warned of intensifying the agitation if the university fails to fulfil their demands. Meanwhile, BBMKU officials declined to comment but a university official said, "The vice-chancellor will look into the matter."
