Khemchand Bohare

Indian activist and social reformer

Khemchand Bohare

Born| (1875-01-01)1 January 1875

Shahganj, Agra, North-Western Provinces, British India

Died| (1960-02-14)14 February 1960

Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India

Nationality| Indian
Occupation(s)| Social Reformer and Founding Member of Jatav Mahasabha
Years active| 1917-1937

Khemchand Bohare was a Dalit activist and social reformer.

## Personal life

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Khemchand Bohare was born into the Jatav community to Nannu Shah Bohare in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. He got his education from St. John's College and worked as a contractor on the Great India Peninsula Railway (GIPR) between Bilaspur-Gondia and Nagpur sections.[1]

## Career

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In 1910, he left his job and started working for the upliftment of the Chamar community. He organised people, i.e., Swami Achootanand, Manikchand Jatav, etc., and founded Jatav Mahasabha to change the identity from Chamar to Jatav.[2] He worked for the upliftment, education, and unity of the untouchables.[3][4]

In 1918, he was nominated as a member of the Agra Municipal Council and later the District Education Board.[5]

In 1922, he became a member of the United Provinces Legislative Council and remained there until 1937. He also passed a resolution to appoint one member from the depressed classes to be a member of the district boards of municipalities and education in every district.[6]

He also gave testimony in front of the Simon Commission and declared himself Vice President of the All India Depressed Classes Association under Rao Sahib M.C. Rajah.

In the 1937 Indian provincial elections, he fought in the Agra constituency but lost to Manik Chand Jatav.[7]

## References

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1. ^ Narayan, Badri (11 May 2011). The Making of the Dalit Public in North India: Uttar Pradesh, 1950–Present. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-908845-4.
2. ^ Hunt, Sarah Beth (7 August 2014). Hindi Dalit Literature and the Politics of Representation. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-55951-1.
3. ^ Kshīrasāgara, Rāmacandra (1994). Dalit Movement in India and Its Leaders, 1857-1956. M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd. ISBN 978-81-85880-43-3.
4. ^ Ahuja, Amit (26 July 2019). Mobilizing the Marginalized: Ethnic Parties Without Ethnic Movements. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-091642-8.
5. ^ Pai, Sudha (1 August 2002). Dalit Assertion and the Unfinished Democratic Revolution: The Bahujan Samaj Party in Uttar Pradesh. SAGE Publications India. ISBN 978-81-321-1991-3.
6. ^ Singer, Milton B.; Cohn, Bernard S. (1970). Structure and Change in Indian Society. Transaction Publishers. ISBN 978-0-202-36933-4.
7. ^ Kumar, Vivek (2001). Dalit Assertion and Bahujan Samaj Party: A Perspective from Below. Bahujan Sahitya Sansthan.