Large Protest in Malkangiri Demands Tribal Recognition for Narsingh Dom Group

Malkangiri,8th Aug 2025: A massive public rally was held today at Padmagiri Paddy Market, Malkangiri block, organized by the Shaheed Narsingh Dom community to demand tribal (Adivasi) recognition.

The program was led by newly elected Block President Mr. Deniram Nagul and members of the Block Committee. Participants included Dom community workers from all Gram Panchayats of Malkangiri block, all 7 blocks of Malkangiri district, and representatives from the district-level leadership of the community.

Thousands of members of the Dom community participated in the event, wearing traditional attire and performing their folk dances, songs, and music. A large rally was carried out with Dhemsa dance, celebrating the legacy of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and Shaheed Narsingh Dom, voicing strong demands for tribal status.

Key Guests and Leaders:

• Chief Guest: Shri Balaram Anugulia
• Honored Guests:
• Shri Dambaru Bag (Vice President, undivided Koraput district Dom community)
• Shri Kantestwar Potla (Joint Secretary)
• Senior Advisers & Speakers:
• Shri Santosh Kumar
• Shri Rajendra Kuldip
• They addressed the gathering, explaining the constitutional rights of the Dom community and submitted a 6-point demand charter to the government, including:

6-Point Charter of Demands:

• 1. Tribal Recognition:
  Immediate recognition of Dom community as Scheduled Tribe (ST) under the new guidelines issued by the central government (Letter No. 18/01/2017 ‘Coord’).
• 2. Land Rights for Landless Doms:
  Grant permanent land ownership to landless Dom families under the Odisha Land Reform Act, especially those living in 7 blocks, 1 municipality, and 1 NAC of Malkangiri.
• 3. Reservation for Educated Youth:
  Provide independent reservation/quota in education and employment for educated Dom youth living across the district.
• 4. Forest Land Rights (FRA 2006):
  Grant community and individual forest land rights to Doms under the Forest Rights Act, 2006.
• 5. Separate Caste Enumeration:
  Conduct separate caste-based census for Doms across all religions.
• 6. Recognition of Dom Language:
  Introduce Dom language in government schools and grant it formal language status.

Attendance & Honors:

• Over 5,000 people attended the event.
• Distinguished elders of the Dom community, including Parshuram Bhakta, Madan Khasala, Tulsiram Dalai, Donel Potla, and Dhanurjaya Hantal, were felicitated.
• The newly formed Block Committee members were also honored.