New Delhi: The National Commission for Scheduled Castes has given the Punjab government 15 days to explain why official documents prepared for the upcoming census include terms widely considered derogatory toward the Valmiki community, warning it could summon state officials if no reply is received.
The notice was sent Tuesday to the Director of Census Operations Punjab and the Principal Secretary of the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment following a complaint filed by Hardeep Singh Gill, Vice Chairperson of the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis.
Gill wrote to the NCSC on May 6 that the Punjab government’s official list of Scheduled Castes, circulated for use in the census exercise, carried words that had caused deep resentment among the Valmiki community across the state.
At the center of the controversy is entry number 2 of Punjab’s Scheduled Castes list which has sub-caste reference for Valmiki and Ravidassia community. The terms have been entered in the Punjabi-language column of the document too.
The terms mentioned are regarded as slurs, and used historically against communities engaged in sanitation work. Their appearance in a government-issued document marked “for official use only” drew immediate condemnation.
Gill told the commission that the Valmiki community had taken strong objection to these words appearing in an official state publication and urged that strict action be taken against those behind preparing these papers.
The NCSC, which functions as a constitutional body under Article 338 and holds powers equivalent to a civil court, took up the matter and directed Punjab to submit a detailed report covering what action, if any, had been initiated.
ThePrint has reached out to the Census office Punjab and the Principal Secretary of the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment Punjab through mails for their comments. But there was no response. The report will be updated if and when they respond.
The issue has drawn in political voices from multiple parties.
Posters circulating on social media, some attributed to Akali Dal Waris Punjab De, targeted the Aam Aadmi Party government, demanding the state government remove the words from the list and register cases under the SC/ST Act against those responsible for their inclusion.
One poster asked pointedly whether the chief minister would act against what it called an insult to the Valmiki community.
The Punjab government has not issued any public statement on the matter. If it fails to respond to the commission within the stipulated period, the NCSC has the authority to issue summons requiring officials to appear before it in-person or through a representative.
The SC list in question is not new and reflects categories that have been carried forward in government records over successive census cycles. Community groups argue that regardless of how long such terms have been in use, their continued presence in official documents puts the state’s imprimatur on language that stigmatises the communities it is meant to enumerate and protect.
The next census, which has been pending since 2021 following repeated delays, is expected to include a separate enumeration of Other Backward Classes for the first time.
The Punjab SC list that surfaced in the controversy contains at least 15 caste groups, with several entries carrying multiple names and regional-language equivalents. It is the regional-language column for the Balmiki entry that has drawn the complaint.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
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