Srinagar: On a cold February morning, Jagdeep Singh joined dozens of other Kashmiri Sikhs on the streets of Baramulla to protest their exclusion from reservation benefits granted to Pahari-speaking communities. The 33-year-old Singh has been trying to get a reservation certificate as a Pahari Sikh for four years–only to be turned down repeatedly, even though Kashmiri Sikhs are officially recognised as Pahari speakers.
“When I applied for this reservation, the tehsildar told me that I don’t qualify because I’m Punjabi, not Pahari,” Jagdeep Singh told ThePrint. “Despite multiple clarifications and passing the linguistic test, my case kept getting transferred from one office to another, leaving me stuck in a cycle of endless appeals with no resolution,” he added. “It has been four years since I applied… I have lost time, energy, and hope. The system has failed us.”
Singh’s case is not isolated. Many Kashmiri Sikhs in the valley say they have been unfairly excluded from reservation benefits granted to other Pahari-speaking groups including Sikhs in Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu and Uri in Kashmir, despite meeting the linguistic criteria.
Kashmiri Sikhs, who account for less than one percent of the population of Jammu and Kashmir, blame bureaucratic red tape and inconsistent policy implementation for being sidelined. While the 2024 amendment to the Constitution granted Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the Pahari Ethnic Group, Paddari Tribes, Kolis, and Gadda Brahmins, the implementation remains mired in procedural delays and administrative reluctance.
Pahari Sikh speak Pahari Punjabi, a dialect native to the hilly regions. Pahari—also known as Pothwari, a Lahnda dialect of Punjabi—is spoken across Pakistan’s Pothohar Plateau, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, and Jammu and Kashmir. It is mutually intelligible with Hindko and standard Punjabi and is commonly referred to as Pahari or Pothwari.
The Jammu and Kashmir Sikh Coordination Committee (JKSCC), which has been leading the protests, accuses the bureaucracy of failing to recognise their tiny minority and excluding them from reservations. Nirmal Singh, president of JKSCC’s Baramulla unit, said many from the community weren’t even able to apply as the tehsildar’s office didn’t entertain their applications. Several have given up out of frustration.
JKSCC member Tejpal Singh told ThePrint that around 100 people have applied for the Pahari-Speaking People (PSP) quota across the valley, but most applications have not been accepted by the tehsildar. Many say government authorities give them the runaround, sending them from one department to another before rejecting their applications.
One of the applicants, Davinder Singh, narrated his experience thus: “When I first visited tehsildar’s office, they told me to gather revenue-related documents and other paperwork. It took me six months to collect all required documents. But when we returned, they still refused to accept our applications and did not provide any explanation for the rejection.”
Speaking on behalf of Davinder and others, Tejpal Singh said Pahari Sikhs deserve a clear answer—on what basis are their applications being rejected. In many ways, the 20 February protest by the JKSCC and members from across the Valley in Baramulla wasn’t just a fight for reservation—it was also a fight for identity and recognition in the region.
Protesters alleged that Pahari Sikhs in Kashmir have been sidelined and that no concrete action has been taken despite multiple protests and meetings in May last year with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the Lieutenant Governor, who assured them of a resolution.
“The answer to the grievance filed by JKSCC with the Lieutenant Governor’s office clearly states that the Pahari Ethnic Group reservation (ST2) must be allocated based on Rule 21 in SO 176, issued by the Social Welfare Department in March 2024,” said Tejpal Singh.
The notification states that a person claiming the benefit under the Pahari Ethnic Group category must be: a member of the Pahari clan, community or tribe having distinct cultural, ethnic and linguistic identity; must be speaking Pahari language and his/her mother tongue must be Pahari; must produce Aadhaar card/voter identity card/domicile certificate.
It also stated that the tehsildar shall be the authority to certify the claim of persons belonging to said category.
As prolonged legal struggles and administrative neglect push many Sikhs to migrate, community leaders warn that unless the government intervenes, Kashmir risks losing one of its last remaining minorities.
“If this continues, the remaining Kashmiri Sikh population will disappear from the Valley. This is not just about reservation—it is about preserving our identity and existence,” said Balwinder Singh, joint secretary, Baramulla Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee.
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A fight against bureaucracy
The controversy stems from the Modi government’s reservation policy. In 2020, the Centre amended the J&K Reservation Rules, 2005 to formally recognise Pahari-Speaking People (PSP) as a distinct category. This move granted them a 4 percent quota in government jobs and educational institutions based on their unique cultural, ethnic and linguistic identity.
In 2024, a new order reclassified PSPs as a Scheduled Tribe (ST), raising their reservation quota to 10 percent and thereby giving them greater access to public sector opportunities.
But while Kashmiri Sikhs have been recognised as Pahari-speaking people, Jagdeep Singh and many others have been excluded from these benefits.
Singh’s struggle began in 2020 when he applied for Pahari reservation at the tehsildar’s office. Instead of issuing the certificate, his case was referred to the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Baramulla. The process didn’t stop there. The DC further moved the case to the social welfare department, which then referred it to the Pahari Board for verification.
After this long-drawn process, Jagdeep thought his problems were finally over when the Pahari Board confirmed his identity as a Pahari, making him eligible for the reservation.
According to him, the Pahari Board cited a 2012 circular by the then vice chairman of the advisory board for development of Pahari-Speaking People MA Bukhari, which recognised Sikhs in Kashmir as members of the Pahari community. “Sikh community in Kashmir and the twin districts of Poonch and Rajouri belong to the Pahari-speaking community of J&K state. Therefore, they are entitled to all the facilities provided by the government/state advisory board for the development of Pahari-speaking people,” the circular read.
Despite receiving confirmation from the Pahari Board and passing the Pahari linguistic test, Jagdeep was still denied the certificate. His case faced additional scrutiny with the tehsildar seeking confirmation from Kupwara, where his forefathers originally lived.
Authorities ruled that the Sikhs from his ancestral village were not “ethnically Pahari,” leading to the rejection of his claim. “Sikhs in Uri are being issued certificates, so why are they not being issued to me? We are ethnically the same and even have relatives and friends there who are also ethnically the same,” Jagdeep lamented.
Gh. Rasool Bhat, the tehsildar of Qaziabad, Kralgund, in Kupwara district who rejected Jagdeep’s application told ThePrint that the claim was turned down “because they are not culturally Pahari”. “The Pahari Advisory Board is not a government office, so its letter is not binding on me. I am the authority, and I reject it,” said Bhat.
Told that the Pahari Advisory Board is a government institution and that the applicant also had a letter from the patwari, the tehsildar ended the call.
Judicial intervention and continued struggle
For the Sikh community in Kashmir, this struggle is not just about reservation but also about identity and recognition.
Struggling to negotiate the bureaucratic maze, some of them are forced to go to court.
Jagdeep Singh, for instance, waited for a whole year without a response from the DC Baramulla and then escalated the matter to the High Court in Srinagar.
The High Court directed the DC to resolve the matter within two weeks, prompting a legal review that found the denial of his claim violated Article 14 of the Constitution, which guarantees equality before the law.
Following the court order, the DC Baramulla sought an opinion from the District Law Officer (DLO). In his response, the DLO reaffirmed that the Sikh community of Rajouri, Poonch and the Kashmir Valley qualified as members of the Pahari community.
The DLO also noted that there was no legal basis or official order from the tehsildar to reject Jagdeep’s claim. He pointed out that individuals in similar circumstances across various districts of Kashmir had been granted Pahari-speaking status under reservation rules amended in 2020.
The DLO Advisory opinion further stated that the denial of Jagdeep’s application, therefore, constituted a violation of Article 14 and undermined the spirit and objective of Rule 21, which recognises distinct cultural, linguistic and ethnic identities.
Furthermore, the social welfare department also instructed that the case be dealt with strictly according to the provisions of Rule 21 of SO 127.
But instead of approving his application, the DC advised Singh to file a fresh case in Kupwara.
“Everyone who meets the set criteria should be granted the certificate. A proper investigation must be conducted to ensure those who genuinely qualify for the reservation benefit from it,” said Nelofer Masood, the lawyer who represented Jagdeep in the High Court.
ThePrint reached the DC of Baramulla via phone multiple times but had not received a response by the time of publication. This report will be updated if and when a response is received.
Sanjeev Verma, director of general administration (J&K) told ThePrint, “We have asked for the details of the issue so that we can take it up with the Deputy Commissioner for further action.”
The larger issue
Kashmir’s Sikhs are increasingly frustrated by the delays and bureaucratic indifference. Despite a letter from the social welfare department affirming that whoever is eligible under the J&K Reservation Rules should be granted certificates, Kashmiri Sikhs say they continue to be excluded.
The JKSCC also met with Pahari leaders from other communities, who expressed their support for the cause. These leaders acknowledged that Kashmiri Sikhs share the same linguistic and cultural identity as other Pahari-speaking groups and should not be excluded from the benefits granted under the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Rules.
“The 2012 circular recognises Sikhs from Kashmir and Rajouri-Poonch as Pahari-speaking. If Sikhs from Rajouri and Poonch receive this reservation despite sharing the same ethnicity and language, why are Kashmiri Sikhs being denied?” asked Nirmal Singh.
Due to this ongoing struggle between the people and the bureaucracy, many Sikhs have been forced to leave Kashmir.
Kashmiri Sikh writer Bhupinder Singh Bali highlighted the gradual migration of Kashmiri Sikhs due to administrative neglect in his book Those Who Stayed.
“Kashmiri Sikhs have always struggled in silence because they lack political weight, with their population making up just 0.5 percent of the Valley,” Bali wrote. Adding, “This neglect is pushing people to leave their homeland. In 2018, 360 Sikh students appeared for the Class 12 exams, whereas in 2023, only about 240 appeared. This decline speaks volumes.”
Many Sikh families in Pulwama, Baramulla and Budgam are leaving their villages in search of better education, raising concerns about the community’s future in Kashmir. “Kashmiri Sikhs are a critically endangered community, and if concrete steps are not taken, the last semblance of diversity will cease to exist in Kashmir,” said Nirmal Singh.
Sharanveer Singh is an intern with ThePrint
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
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