The decision to change the caste's name came after persistent appeals from community leaders, who highlighted how the caste name had been weaponised as an insult.
Published Aug 18, 2025 | 1:35 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 18, 2025 | 1:35 PM
The N Chandrababu Naidu-led NDA government issued an order, notifying the change in the caste's name.
Synopsis: The change was formalised through Government Order No. 1793 issued by the Backward Classes Department. Previously listed as Dommara under Group A of the state’s OBC list and the Central OBC list, the caste will now be recognised as Dommara (Giri Balija).
In a significant step toward according social dignity, the Andhra Pradesh government has officially renamed the Dommara caste as Giri Balija, bringing long-awaited relief to the community.
For decades, members of this caste endured humiliation as their identity was misused as a slur, often in sexually abusive contexts.
The change was formalised through Government Order (GO) No. 1793 issued by the Backward Classes Department. Previously listed as Dommara under Group A of the state’s OBC list (Serial No. 7) and the Central OBC list (Serial No. 7), the caste will now be recognised as Dommara (Giri Balija).
The decision came after persistent appeals from community leaders, who highlighted how the caste name had been weaponised as an insult. Phrases like “Dommaridana,” “Dommarodila Vunnavu,” and “Dommara Nakoduka“—often hurled as abuses—tainted their identity, despite most members no longer being associated with the stigmatized professions of the past.
Dasu Suresh, founding president of BC Rajyadhikar Samiti, explained that while the Dommara community has evolved socially, their name remained a tool for humiliation. The GO acknowledges this painful legacy, stating that the renaming aims to “wipe out mental agony and end social humiliation.”
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
