Patidar reservation agitation
Starting in July 2015, the people of India's Patidar community, seeking Other Backward Class (OBC) status, held public demonstrations across the Indian state of Gujarat.
Demonstration rally at Ahmedabad on 25 August 2015 | |
| Native name | પાટીદાર અનામત આંદોલન |
|---|---|
| Date | 6 July 2015 – 14 January 2019 |
| Location | Gujarat, India |
| Also known as | Patel quota stir, Patidar Anamat Andolan |
| Type | street protest, protest march, procession |
| Cause | Seeking Other Backward Class status for the Patidar community |
| Organised by | Several Patidar community organisations |
| Outcome | 103rd Amendment of the constitution granting 10% reservation to economically weak people |
| Deaths | 14 |
| Non-fatal injuries | at least 27 citizens and 203 police personnel |
| Property damage | Several vehicles, more than 200 buses and public properties damaged across Gujarat Ahmedabad: ₹ 12 crore (120 million rupees) Rajkot: ₹ 1.47 crore (14.7 million rupees) Police department:₹ 200 crore (2,000 million rupees) |
| Arrests | At least 650 |
| Charges | 438 cases of different charges (391 withdrawn later) |
The largest demonstration was held in Ahmedabad on 25 August 2015, and was attended by thousands. Later, there were incidents of violence and arson across the state, resulting in a curfew in several cities and towns. Properties and vehicles worth crores (tens of millions) of rupees were damaged and destroyed. The state returned to normalcy by 28 August. Despite talks with the government, the agitation recommenced and turned violent again on 19 September. The government announced offers of scholarships and subsidies to general category students on 24 September 2015 and a 10% quota of spaces reserved for economically backward classes in April 2016. The 10% reservation was quashed by the Gujarat High Court in August 2016. The agitation lingered on for two more years. In January 2019, the Parliament of India amended the constitution granting maximum 10% reservation to the Economically Weaker Sections of the society. The amendment was challenged in the Supreme Court where its validity was upheld in November 2022.