India, May 21 -- Members of the Matang community, one of the prominent castes under the Scheduled Caste (SC) category in Maharashtra, on Tuesday staged a demonstration at Azad Maidan seeking sub-categorisation benefits that would entail them to reservation within the SC quota based on their level of backwardness. State revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule assured the protestors that the government was with them and chief minister Devendra Fadnavis would meet them within a fortnight to discuss their demands.

As per the 2011 census, the SC population in Maharashtra was 13.2 million of which around 62% were Mahars and neo-Buddhists while the remaining 38% belonged to castes within the Hindu fold. Matangs comprised the largest group in ...