In an attempt to raise the representation of Muslims in the police service, a congregation of leaders from various Muslim associations and councils approached the Minority Development department Monday with a request to implement the facility of bilingual question papers for the non-Maratha section.

“The questions must be made available also in English and Urdu, apart from Marathi. The questions are framed in chaste Marathi, which is extremely difficult for the non-Marathi medium students to understand,” the letter submitted to the Minority Ministry said.

The request to the new BJP-led government comes after Minority Affairs minister Eknath Khadse last week announced the introduction of an option to study Urdu in Marathi schools in addition to the facility of learning Marathi in Urdu-medium schools that are run by the state government.

“Several Muslims find it difficult to get inducted in the state police service for posts like constables and inspectors because they clear all stages but fail when it comes to writing and conversing in Marathi. If they are given question papers in English or Urdu, chances of cracking it are much higher,” said M A Khalid, a social activist.

In the meeting conducted with the joint secretary of the Minority Affairs department, Ainul Attar, members of associations like the All India Milli Council and All India OBC Movement were present. Attar admitted that according to the Official Languages Commission, an additional language can be incorporated in a state which has 8-10 per cent of its population speaking that particular language.

While a raise in Muslim representation in police service was the point of the agenda, the leaders also requested the Minority Affairs department to revive the 15-point programme, first initiated in 2006 by the central government, to its full force in the state. As per the programme, ‘100 Muslim youths from every district were to be trained for the written exam of police service’, said the letter.

While in their letter, the Muslim associations slammed the former Congress-NCP government for making lofty promises but failing to improve representation of the minority community in the state, they also challenged the new government to create awareness about five per cent Muslim reservation in educational institutes following the Bombay High Court’s directive to allow 5 per cent reservation of Muslims in educational institutes, citing the ‘abysmally low’ educational achievements of Muslims.

tabassum.barnagarwala@expressindia.com

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