<p>As many as 587 false caste certificate cases are still pending in the state, of which 86 involve Lingayats identifying themselves as Beda Jangama, who are Scheduled Castes. </p>.<p>Of these 86 cases, 48 are registered in Ballari alone. </p>.<p>According to documents available with the <span class="italic">DH</span>, since 1988, 1,097 cases of false caste certificates have been booked.</p>.<p>People belonging to forward or upper castes obtain ‘false’ caste certificates to avail of benefits such as reservation in education and jobs. It is also misused by a section of politicians to contest polls. Caste certificates are issued by the revenue officials.</p>.<p>According to a senior bureaucrat, the number of applications seeking Budga Jangama caste certificates has gone up exponentially in the last one decade. </p>.<p>Two groups claim to be Beda Jangama: a group of wandering performers and the other a sect of preachers (Lingayats) in the state. Beda Jangama and Budga Jangama appear as number 19 in the list of 101 Scheduled Castes in the state.</p>.<p>The distinct feature of the two communities is that the Beda Jangama and Budga Jangama have their roots in the Andhra region and are primarily Telugu-speaking. The Veerashaiva Jangamas speak Kannada and are like the priestly class.</p>.<p>BJP MLA M P Kumaraswamy, who heads a legislature committee on SC/ST welfare, said he feels sad when a “priestly class from a powerful community” tries to usurp reservation meant for mendicants by misusing nomenclature. </p>.<p>“The very idea of reservation was envisaged by Dr B R Ambedkar to ensure equal opportunity for untouchables in the country. I’m not opposed to giving reservations to Lingayats or any other community in the state, but I will certainly oppose the upper caste trying to usurp the reservations meant for Dalits,” Kumaraswamy, a Dalit, said.</p>.<p>Last year, chief minister’s political secretary M P Renukacharya admitted on the floor of the Assembly that his daughter, a Lingayat, had obtained a certificate identifying her as a Beda Jangama (SC).</p>
<p>As many as 587 false caste certificate cases are still pending in the state, of which 86 involve Lingayats identifying themselves as Beda Jangama, who are Scheduled Castes. </p>.<p>Of these 86 cases, 48 are registered in Ballari alone. </p>.<p>According to documents available with the <span class="italic">DH</span>, since 1988, 1,097 cases of false caste certificates have been booked.</p>.<p>People belonging to forward or upper castes obtain ‘false’ caste certificates to avail of benefits such as reservation in education and jobs. It is also misused by a section of politicians to contest polls. Caste certificates are issued by the revenue officials.</p>.<p>According to a senior bureaucrat, the number of applications seeking Budga Jangama caste certificates has gone up exponentially in the last one decade. </p>.<p>Two groups claim to be Beda Jangama: a group of wandering performers and the other a sect of preachers (Lingayats) in the state. Beda Jangama and Budga Jangama appear as number 19 in the list of 101 Scheduled Castes in the state.</p>.<p>The distinct feature of the two communities is that the Beda Jangama and Budga Jangama have their roots in the Andhra region and are primarily Telugu-speaking. The Veerashaiva Jangamas speak Kannada and are like the priestly class.</p>.<p>BJP MLA M P Kumaraswamy, who heads a legislature committee on SC/ST welfare, said he feels sad when a “priestly class from a powerful community” tries to usurp reservation meant for mendicants by misusing nomenclature. </p>.<p>“The very idea of reservation was envisaged by Dr B R Ambedkar to ensure equal opportunity for untouchables in the country. I’m not opposed to giving reservations to Lingayats or any other community in the state, but I will certainly oppose the upper caste trying to usurp the reservations meant for Dalits,” Kumaraswamy, a Dalit, said.</p>.<p>Last year, chief minister’s political secretary M P Renukacharya admitted on the floor of the Assembly that his daughter, a Lingayat, had obtained a certificate identifying her as a Beda Jangama (SC).</p>