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National SC panel summons Punjab census chief over ‘casteist’ terms
The commission has intervened following protests by farmers over a derogatory, casteist term included in the state’s newly launched digital enumeration portal
The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) on Tuesday took cognisance of the use of casteist words in the official list prepared for the upcoming nationwide decadal counting operations, issuing a notice to Navjot Khosa, the director of census operations for Punjab.
The commission sought an action taken report within 15 days from the director of census operations for Punjab, and the principal secretary of the department of social justice, empowerment and minorities.
This intervention follows widespread public outrage and protests led by farm and rural labour bodies in Punjab, including the Dehati Mazdoor Sabha and the Punjab Khet Mazdoor Sabha, who discovered an offensive, derogatory term embedded within the online caste-selection column of the self-enumeration form.
“The National Commission for Scheduled Castes has taken cognisance of the use of casteist words in the official list prepared for the upcoming Census operations and has issued a notice in this regard to the Director, Census Operations, Punjab and the Principal Secretary, Department of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of Punjab,” the notice said.
The complaint was submitted by Hardeep Singh Gill, vice-chairperson of the national commission for safai karamcharis.
“...a complaint/information has been received by the National Commission for Scheduled Castes... and the Commission has decided to investigate/inquire into the matter. Considering the sensitivity of the matter, the commission has taken prompt action and issued notices to the concerned departments,” the notice said.
The controversial portal, which went live for citizens on April 30 as part of the first phase of the digitised national counting exercise, has drawn flak from community leaders who allege that the inclusion of such language indicates a deeply rooted caste bias within sections of the bureaucracy responsible for designing official state documents.
In its directive to the directorate of census operations, the apex statutory body has demanded an immediate, comprehensive explanation regarding the oversight, while agitated labour unions continue to press both the central and state administrations for swift punitive action against the drafting officials and the immediate expunging of the offensive vocabulary from the nationwide data-collection framework.
Acknowledging the notice, Khosa said the department was currently preparing a report on the issue.
“The detailed report will be submitted within the next two days,” she said.
A senior official from the census department, requesting anonymity, said the authorities were using the same caste classification list that had been adopted during the 2011 census exercise.
Census 2027 will be conducted in two phases. Phase 1 includes self-enumeration from April 30 to May 14, followed by house-to-house enumeration from May 15 to June 13. Phase 2 includes population enumeration, which is scheduled from February 9-28 in 2027.
This is the 16th census in India and the eighth after Independence. The last census was conducted in 2011, while the 2021 census was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Punjab SC panel seeks removal of ‘derogatory’ caste terms
CHANDIGARH: The Punjab State Scheduled Castes Commission, in a statement on Tuesday, urged the NCSC and the Centre to remove derogatory caste terminology.
Commission chairman Jasvir Singh Garhi met officials of the NCSC in New Delhi and submitted an official memorandum demanding corrective policy and legislative intervention in the matter.
Garhi said the issue transcended administrative procedure and was directly linked to constitutional morality, social justice and protection of human dignity. He stressed that the Centre must take immediate corrective measures. {With Agency inputs}
