The members of the Begari community demanded that the government provide accidental insurance, pensions and identity cards. “We will stop burying the deceased if our problems are not solved,” they added.
The Begari community members, categorised as scheduled castes, primarily work as gravediggers and security guards at the cemeteries. The Begari association, under the aegis of Kula Vivaksha Vyatireka Porata Samithi (KVPS), protested outside the Collectorate on Saturday.
The protesters demanded that the government must give identity cards for everyone who engages in the occupation. They also asked for ₹5,000 as pension for everyone who has crossed the age of 45 years and accidental insurance.
Apart from that, as work has come down significantly, they asked that the government must provide two acres of land to cultivate. “The government must also give houses constructed on three cents of land,” demanded a protester.
Explaining their issues in the villages, a protester said that farmlands of Dalits are being occupied by powerful people. The protesters demanded that the government must take strict action against the occupiers.
They threatened to stop burying deceased persons across the district if the government failed to solve their concerns.
KVPS district secretary M.D. Anand Babu, Begari association convenor P.S. Ratnam, KVPS east district secretary M. Sudhakar have all participated in the protest.
