The Dhimal community — a group with a history spanning 300 years — has long been striving to secure Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
The Dhimals are a Sino-Tibetan group indigenous to the eastern Terai region of Nepal and India. In India, the community primarily resides in the Darjeeling hills of Bengal, particularly in the Ketugaburjote area of Naxalbari block, located around 30km from Siliguri.
The area falls within the Matigara-Naxalbari Assembly constituency of the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat.
Members of the community cast their votes in the first phase of the Assembly elections on Thursday, hoping that the new state government would finally address their longstanding demand.
Currently, the community has a population of around 1,700 people living in Ketugaburjote I and II, with approximately 700 registered voters.
“We have been residing in the Naxalbari block since the 1980s. Despite being one of the oldest communities, our struggle to obtain ST status continues. This time, we have voted with the expectation that the newly-elected representative will raise our issue at the appropriate forum,” said Garjan Mallick, secretary of the Dhimal Community Existence & Preservation Welfare Committee, on Thursday.
Mallick, now in his mid-60s, expressed frustration over the continued neglect of their demand.
“Despite our long history, we do not understand why our demand is being ignored. The BJP has been in power at the Centre since 2014 and the outgoing MLA from our constituency (Anandamoy Barman) also belongs to the same party,” he said.
He further alleged that Raju Bista, the BJP MP of Darjeeling, has never visited their locality.
“We have met him a couple of times to present our demand, but no steps were taken. The outgoing BJP MLA has also failed to address our concerns,” Mallick added.
In an effort to preserve the community’s heritage, the state spent ₹50 lakh to construct a two-storey community hall and museum in the village two years ago.
The museum showcases various cultural and traditional artefacts, including clothing, musical instruments and agricultural tools used by the Dhimals.
Mallick, a retired high school teacher, was the first graduate from the community in the early 1980s.
Since then, only about 10 to 12 people from the community have obtained college degrees. Due to limited opportunities, many young people migrate to other states in search of work or take up day wage labour.
“Because of the lack of sustainable livelihood options, our youth are forced to move away for odd jobs. If we were granted ST status, it could open up new opportunities and help them access stable employment,” Mallick said.