The Chain, is a caste mainly of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. They have traditionally been associated with cultivation and fishery occupations.[1]
In West Bengal, although the Chain community is widely dispersed through the state, the Government granted Scheduled Castes (SC) status only to Chain members in four districts: Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia and Dakshin Dinajpur.[2] Accordingly, the Socio Economic and Caste Census 2011 specifically reported the Chain only in these locations. Based on the 2011 Census of India, these districts, together, have a population of 323,595 people belonging to the Chain community.[3] The total Chain population in West Bengal is more than four lakh (400,000). The National Commission for Scheduled Castes was reported in 2015 to be initiating a process to extend SC status to the community throughout West Bengal.[2]