Caste Slurs in Census Forms: SC Commission Issues Notice to Punjab Census Bureau
When asked why a notice was issued to the Punjab government over the issue with the content of the Census 2027 website run by the Union Home Ministry, sources in the NCSC said that while the Union government is responsible for the census, the Commission is also interested in the role the state government could play in the intervention. File image for representation only. | Photo credit: PTI
As the 2027 Census forms for Punjab list caste slurs as synonyms for Scheduled Caste community names, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes has issued a notice to the Director of Census Operations, Punjab as well as the State Government’s Department of Social Justice to investigate the issue.
The notice was based on a complaint by National Safai Karmachari Commission Vice-Chairman Hardeep Singh Gill. The Union Government’s self-enumeration website for the 2027 Census has offensive and derogatory words for the Valmiki community in Punjab, Mr Gill told The Hindu, referring to the use of words like ‘Chura’ and ‘Bhangi’ in his complaint to the NCSC.
In fact, the census officials can simply follow the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order announced by the President of India, which repeatedly lists these offensive words as synonyms for the caste name “Balmiki” in the SC lists for Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Chandigarh, Gujarat, West Gujarat and Karnataka Bengal Majka. In other states, including Delhi, “Bhangi” is listed as a caste name in its own right, despite being considered a slur by many.
Offensive words
Mr. Gill said these words are banned under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atroities) Act. The Act says it is an offense to “abuse any member of a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe by caste name in any place in public view”.
“This is a very serious issue. I have been talking about it ever since we found out. Many people from the community went to fill the website with their own enumeration and found that such words are also listed against the names of scheduled castes,” he told The Hindu.
Central site, state role
In its May 14 notice, the NCSC attached Mr Gill’s complaint and said it had “decided to investigate/investigate” the matter in accordance with its constitutional powers. The Commission has sought an action taken report from the Director of Census Operations and the Punjab Government within 15 days in this regard.
When asked why a notice was issued to the Punjab government over the issue with the content of the Census 2027 website run by the Union Home Ministry, sources in the NCSC said that while the Union government is responsible for the census, the Commission is also interested in the role the state government could play in the intervention.
Mr. Gill said he has also lodged a complaint with the Punjab director general of police and the state government’s social justice department. “But so far the department has only said that the complaint is being investigated,” he said, adding that while the census was being conducted across the country by the Union government, the Punjab government should also have ensured that the words were not used.
A political controversy erupted in Punjab last week when former legislators and ruling Aam Aadmi Party MLA Kulwant Singh Sidhu flagged the issue and said they had also written to the authorities to crack down on those responsible. Several community organizations have also called for a solution to the issue, warning of law and order problems if the enumerators end up uttering these words in Valmiki communities on door-to-door visits.
Published – 19 May 2026 20:50 IST