Jammu, Feb 7: The Pahari group in J&K was granted Scheduled Tribe status after Parliament approved the move, and on Wednesday, officials in Poonch and Rajouri districts placed limitations on the use of the Internet and the gathering of mobs. The Pahari group residing in several regions of Jammu and Kashmir was granted scheduled tribe (ST) status by the Parliament on Tuesday. The Gujjar/Bakerwal community has historically been classified as a Scheduled Tribe and has a 9% reservation in government employment.The Gujjar/Bakerwal group has opposed the Paharis’ application for ST status, arguing that doing so would violate their reserved rights and that the Paharis are a well-established community in the UT. In addition to the Paharis, the Padari tribe, Kolis, and Gadda Brahmins of the UT have been granted ST classification under a statute enacted by Parliament. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has promised that the Gujjar/Bakarwal community’s reservations won’t be impacted by Paharis being granted ST status.
