Noted rights activist Avadhash Kaushal on Saturday asked all the NGOs which claim to fight for the rights of tribals to come together and fight unitedly for allocation of ST status to Van Gujjars, the only Muslim forest dwelling community in the country.
"Van Gujjars have been granted ST status in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana but in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand they are yet to get the status," said Padmashree recipient Kaushal, who runs a leading rights NGO called RLEK in the city.
"RLEK along with the Minorities Commission of India is striving to get this status for Van Gujjars in the state... I call upon all those NGOs which claim to fight for the rights of tribals to join hands with us in this endeavour," he said addressing a workshop to create awareness about the provisions of Scheduled tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006.
Kaushal claimed that the Van Gujjars of Uttarakhand fulfil all the parameters set for according them ST status.
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