Team visits Hyderabad to examine Nizam-era Kunbi documents for Maratha reservation

A team of current and retired officials of the Maharashtra government and language experts is visiting Hyderabad to look for Nizam-era documents related to the Kunbi community living in the Marathwada region, PTI reported.

The team would examine historical records from the Nizam era to determine the Kunbi population in the former Nizam state, as well as seek house-wise lists and census data.

The Maharashtra government has decided to issue Kunbi caste certificates to Marathas whose ancestors were identified as Kunbi during the Nizam era. This step allows Marathas from the Marathwada region to avail themselves of reservation benefits, as Kunbis are categorized under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) classification.

The government team, which left on Wednesday, is expected to submit a report before a cabinet meeting scheduled here for September 16 but can extend the stay in Hyderabad if necessary, an official from the Aurangabad divisional commissioner’s office told PTI.

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange concluded his seventeen-day hunger strike on Thursday, in the presence of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Jarange's demand was for Maratha community members to receive Kunbi caste certificates without the need for documentary proof.