Probe exposes chinks in documenting tribal students’ caste

“On verification of the petitioner relative’s documents such as birth certificate and school registers before 1980’s, their community was specified as Kuravar, Koravar and Kurachetty. But after 1980’s, their community has been changed into Hindu Malaikuravan. Different communities have been mentioned by the petitioners relatives during various time frame adding to the chaos,” the RDO said in his reply to the Collector and has rejected the application of the tribal girl. 

The petitioner relative owns land in the village of Malayanur Chekkadi, wherein the land revenue records such as “A” register and chitta shows that the landholders surname as “chetty.” There are such discrepancies and a petitioner’s another relative have community certificate as Hindu Koravar community, thus providing a Malaikuravan certificate is an issue as there are no specific evidence, the enquiry revealed. 

On perusal of the relevant documents and based on the enquiry conducted and from the above said reasons, the request of the petitioner could not be considered and the Hindu Malaikuravan Community cannot be issued to the petitioner and his family members, the RDO report concluded. 

“This is exactly what we were talking and trying to explain. These tribes were uneducated and submitted different caste surnames during documentations. How come relatives of a same tribe have different community certificates,” wondered E Kumar, general secretary, Adi Tribal Welfare Association. 

The officials should come out with solutions and not raise the bureaucratic norms affecting tribes. They should start thinking about DNA tests or other scientific means rather than sticking to the old revenue records that carry administrative errors, he added.