Revanth to Centre: Form GoM, expert panel for caste census
Hyderabad: Chief minister A Revanth Reddy has urged the Centre to constitute a Group of Ministers (GoM) and an experts committee for caste census across the country. He also appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to set a clear timeframe to complete the exercise, preferably within a year. Welcoming the Centre’s decision to include caste data in the next census, Revanth thanked the PM and emphasised that the Telangana govt was ready to cooperate, offering insights from its own caste survey without seeking political mileage. He said Telangana has become a role model in conducting such surveys. “The GoM and experts committee should be constituted separately to visit various states and hold consultations with political parties, stakeholders, and civil society on the caste census,” Revanth said at a press conference at his Jubilee Hills residence on Thursday. He explained that Telangana’s GoM and experts committee had visited every district, interacted with stakeholders, and collected representations from the public during its caste survey. Highlighting regional variations in caste classification, the CM said the experts committee must consider state-wise differences. “For instance, the Boya community is classified as OBC in Telangana but as ST in Karnataka. Similarly, Lambadas are tribals in Telangana but considered OBC in Maharashtra. There needs to be a consensus on these differences,” he said. When asked if the Centre’s move was politically motivated, particularly in light of the Bihar elections, Revanth refrained from making direct allegations. “I do not want to get into political accusations, especially when the move benefits people. But it’s clear that the BJP govt was compelled to act,” he said. He credited Rahul Gandhi for initiating the talk around caste census, asserting that the Congress leader promised a caste survey in Telangana and fulfilled the promise. “The credit goes to Rahul Gandhi,” he added. The CM said the state govt has already submitted its report to the Centre. “If needed, an official delegation is ready to go to Delhi to make a Power-Point presentation,” he said. On whether the Centre’s caste census data would override Telangana’s findings, Revanth clarified, “Central data prevails. However, Telangana’s survey was carried out systematically and scientifically, with a GoM and experts committee guiding the process.” He detailed the scale of the Telangana survey stating that 57 questions, spanning eight pages, were asked, with 95,000 enumerators covering every household in the state within 90 days. The process was supervised by top govt officials and the state-level GoM. “Telangana has shown the way. This is a historic exercise pending for nearly 100 years,” the CM claimed. Commenting on the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Revanth claimed that the Congress had warned the public about the BJP’s alleged intent to remove reservations and alter the Constitution. “The people didn’t give the BJP a clear majority. With only 240 seats, their plans have been stalled,” he said. He also questioned why BJP-ruled states undertook caste surveys if the BJP opposed them. “The BJP has been in power for 11 years and governs 16–17 states. Why were caste surveys conducted only recently,” he wondered. Revanth said the BJP, despite its initial opposition, had been forced to support caste census due to Congress’s pressure. He recalled the Congress-led protest at Jantar Mantar, where leaders from most parties participated, except the NDA allies. Regarding the stalling of ‘Operation Kagar’ in Chhattisgarh, the CM said: “There is no place for violence in a civilised society. The party believes in dialogue with Maoists, and a policy decision will be taken soon.” Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https://timesofindia.com and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
‘If you wanted caste-based census so badly, you should have done earlier’: Chirag Paswan slams Congress
NEW DELHI: Union minister Chirag Paswan on Thursday directed his attack on the Congress party, accusing it of using the caste census as a “political weapon to incite people’s sentiments.” He questioned the party’s intent, saying that if Congress was genuinely committed to a caste-based census, it should have implemented it during its long tenure in power. “Today, Rahul Gandhi wants to take credit for this, saying that this happened under my pressure. Your party’s government remained in the centre for a long time. Leave the party aside, there have been three Prime Ministers from your family. If you wanted a caste-based census in the country so badly, then you should have got it done earlier. But you used it as a political weapon and only worked to incite people’s sentiments,” Paswan told reporters. He praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking decisive action, saying, “Today, our government has fulfilled this demand. My Prime Minister is known for taking the right decisions at the right time. The opposition is saying that we have taken this decision in view of the Bihar elections, but if this decision had to be taken from the point of view of elections, then we would have taken this decision before the Lok Sabha elections…” Paswan further highlighted ongoing national priorities, assuring that the government remains focused on critical issues, including national security concerns, which is at the centre of discussion after terrorist attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam. “We have taken this decision, and there is still more work to be done. There are many important issues related to national security on which we have to work…my Prime Minister will definitely take every decision which is related to the sentiments of the country,” he said. The Cabinet Committee on political affairs, headed by PM Modi, recently approved a caste census to be conducted alongside the national census. However, no official date for the exercise has been announced yet. This announcement comes just months before the upcoming Bihar assembly elections. Bihar, notably, was the first state to initiate and conduct a caste-based survey in 2022. According to Article 246 of the Constitution, the census is a Union subject and is listed at number 69 in the Union List under the Seventh Schedule. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https://timesofindia.com and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
Minor Dalit girl gangraped: Kidnapped and raped in Kanpur, brutally beaten for protesting, one accused arrested
A sensational case of gangrape of a minor has come to light in Kaushambi district of UP. Police has registered a case under serious sections of gangrape, POCSO, SC-ST on the complaint of the father of the victim girl in this case. Kaushambi (Kuldeep Dwivedi): A sensational case of gangrape of a minor has come to light in Kaushambi district of UP. Police has registered a case under serious sections of gangrape, POCSO, SC-ST on the complaint of the father of the victim girl in this case. The main accused of the incident has been arrested by the police team. The remaining two persons are being searched. If he is guilty, he will also be sent to jail. Police had registered a case on the complaint of the victim’s father The incident is from Kokhraj police station area. According to the complaint given by the victim’s father in the police station, his minor daughter was lured and kidnapped by a neighbour Shailendra alias Zahid. When his daughter returned, she told that the accused took her to Kanpur and along with two other people raped her in a mango orchard one after the other. The police have arrested the main accused by registering a case on the complaint of the father. Statement of Additional SP In this case, Additional SP Rajesh Kumar Singh said that a person from Kokhraj police station area had brought his daughter. He told that our girl had gone somewhere. She has returned, we do not want any action on this. On which a case of trafficking was registered in Kokhraj police station area on 24 April 2025. After this, he came again on the 27th and told that there were three people with our girl. Who raped her one after the other. On which an FIR was immediately registered. The investigation proceedings were taken forward. Also, the main accused of the incident has been arrested. The remaining two persons, if found guilty, will also be sent to jail. Courtesy : Purnima Singh,, Hindi News
The hand pump became impure… Muslims stopped a Dalit from drinking water, then beat him up after making him fall! Police started investigation
Hamirpur News: Drinking water from a government hand pump proved costly for a Dalit youth who came from a neighboring district in Hamirpur district. When he touched the hand pump to quench his thirst, the village bullies pushed him to the ground. He was also humiliated by beating him in public. On the basis of the complaint of the incident, the police has started investigating the whole matter today. Case of beating a Dalit for touching a government hand pump The village bullies humiliated the youth by calling him untouchable The police has now started investigating the whole matter Pankaj Mishra, Hamirpur: In Hamirpur district of Uttar Pradesh, a thirsty Dalit was beaten up badly for touching a government hand pump. He was also humiliated by calling him untouchable. On the basis of the complaint of the incident, the police has started investigating the whole matter. Police has started investigating the matter. Amit son of Chhotelal Anurag, a resident of Subhash Nagar of Kabrai town of neighbouring Mahoba district, has his maternal home in Chhani village of Binwar police station area of Hamirpur district. He was going to his maternal uncle’s house in Chhani by motorcycle. Then he felt thirsty due to heat. To quench his thirst, he stopped the motorcycle on the way outside Bibhuni village. He started operating the government hand pump to drink water. Meanwhile, Jal Muhammad son of Sayyadin, Saddam, Aziz Hasan son of Hussain Muhammad and Mushtaq son of Basir Muhammad of the same village abused him and forbade him from drinking water from the hand pump. Ignoring the bullies, he started drinking water from the hand pump and the bullies got angry. The bullies said that this hand pump has now become impure. The bullies pushed him off the hand pump and beat him up. The villagers present there were also terrified when he was beaten mercilessly after being thrown on the ground. After this incident, the humiliated Amit reached Binwar police station and gave a written complaint about the matter. He told the police that he was beaten up for drinking water from a government handpump. He was insulted by calling him untouchable. Police investigating the incident Binwar police station in-charge Dharmendra Kumar told on Wednesday that Amit Kumar, a resident of Kabrai Mahoba, has filed a complaint in the police station and accused four people of village Vibhuni of treating him as untouchable and pushing him and beating him while drinking water from a government handpump. On the basis of the complaint, the incident is being investigated. He told that action will be taken in this matter after investigation. About the author Aishwarya Kumar Rai Aishwarya Kumar Rai works as Principal Digital Content Producer in Navbharat Times Online. Hometown Gorakhpur of eastern Uttar Pradesh, where he received education from birth to school. After graduation from Delhi University, he did PG-Diploma in Journalism from Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC). Professional journey started with the country’s only trilingual agency UNI-Varta. Then further journey with NBT. Delhi and Lucknow are our workplaces. Courtesy: Aishwarya Kumar Rai, NBT, Hindi News
Bakhraur murder case: BSP enraged over Dalit girl’s murder, warns of agitation if justice is not given
Bihar BSP: Bahujan Samaj Party’s central state in-charge Anil Kumar said, Gopalganj has become a stronghold of crime. Serious questions are being raised on the administration and the government. If justice is not given, the Bahujan Samaj Party will launch a big agitation. After the brutal murder of a Dalit girl in Bakhraur village under Barauli block of Gopalganj district, Bahujan Samaj Party’s central state in-charge Anil Kumar met the victim’s family late on Tuesday night. Party’s central in-charge Umashankar Gautam, central state in-charge Advocate Suresh Rao, state president Shankar Mahato were also present with him. Anil Kumar expressed deep concern over this inhuman incident and called it an administrative failure and a deliberate conspiracy. Addressing a press conference organized at the Circuit House, Anil Kumar said that in the last few days, dozens of such incidents have happened with the Dalit, exploited and deprived class which show that Gopalganj is now becoming a district of murder and rape. Anil Kumar said that questions arise on the working style of the police captain here. The FIR not being registered for five days shows that the administration in Bihar has become inactive and anti-Dalit. He asked in a sharp tone, “Is dictatorship or Talibani rule prevailing in Bihar?” He also accused Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of mental instability and said that now his remaining in the post is a betrayal to the people of the state. The BSP leader said that atrocities on Dalits in Uttar Pradesh had completely stopped during the rule of sister Mayawati. He clarified that if law and order can improve with leadership like Behenji, then it is possible in Bihar too. Provided the government’s intention is right. Anil Kumar also took a dig at three ministers of the Bihar government that they did not even come to meet the victim’s family. He warned that if the victim’s family does not get immediate justice and action is not taken against the culprits, then the Bahujan Samaj Party will launch a massive movement within the ambit of the Constitution and will work to oust the double engine government from power. He also demanded the suspension of the guilty officers on the inaction of the police administration. On this occasion, State Vice President Kishore Kunal Vivek, State General Secretary Abhimanyu Kushwaha, Sachin Singh, Sajid Hussain, Buxar District President Subhash Gautam, Janardan Ram, Mithlesh Kumar, Shiv Bahadur Patel, Anil Kumar etc. were present. Courtesy : Arvind Kumar, Hindi News
Caste census will uplift Dalit, backward and Pasmanda classes: Danish Azad Ansari
Lucknow, 30 April. A meeting of the Union Cabinet was held in Delhi on Wednesday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Many important decisions were taken in the meeting. The Modi government at the Center has also decided to conduct caste census in this meeting. Yogi government minister Danish Azad Ansari expressed happiness over this decision of the government. Danish Azad Ansari, while talking to the news agency, said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to conduct caste census is historic. This decision will prove to be very meaningful in the reconstruction of the nation. This census will open new paths for the upliftment of backward society, Dalit society and Pasmanda class and new schemes will be made. Prime Minister Modi has always kept the development and upliftment of the country paramount. This historic decision has been taken with the spirit of serving the country, which the whole country welcomes. He further said that we have full faith that after this census, our resolve for a developed India 2047 will not only get further strengthened, but our country will move forward rapidly on the path of this resolve. Let us tell you that the Modi cabinet approved the caste census on Wednesday. Giving information about the government’s decision, Ashwini Vaishnav said that the Congress governments opposed the caste census. There has been no caste census since 1947. Instead of caste census, Congress conducted caste survey, many states in the UPA government have conducted caste survey from political point of view. He further said that in 2010, the then Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh had assured in the Lok Sabha that the caste census would be considered in the cabinet. Thereafter, a cabinet group was also formed, in which most of the political parties recommended caste based census. Despite this, the Congress government considered it appropriate to conduct a survey instead of caste census, which is known as CECC. Despite all this, the parties of the Congress and Indy alliance used the subject of caste census only for their political benefit. Vaishnav further said that this type of survey has spread confusion in the society. Keeping all these situations in mind and ensuring that our social fabric does not come under the pressure of politics, the caste census should be included in the original census instead of a survey. This will strengthen the society economically and socially and the country will also progress uninterrupted. The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs led by PM Modi has decided that caste census will be included in the upcoming census. Courtesy: Hindi News
MP: 17-year-old Dalit girl in Bhopal alleges that Zoya Bhabhi got me raped by Shahrukh
Bhopal. After the disclosure of the ‘Farhan Gang’ in Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh, which traps Hindu girls and makes them victims of lust, now another similar case has come to light. A 17-year-old Dalit girl has filed a complaint against some people including a woman and alleged that all of them together got her raped repeatedly by a boy named Shahrukh. Police have registered a case under various sections of BNS, SC-ST Act and POCSO Act at Kolar Road Police Station. The victim told the police that she is 17 years old. She lives near Bhopal. Being from a poor family, she could study only till 8th class. She has four siblings. The victim is the youngest in the house. She has three elder brothers elder to her. A young man named Javed had been living in the neighbourhood of the victim’s house for many years. They used to talk as neighbours. She used to call him Bhaiya and trusted him. The victim told that a day before Valentine’s Day this year, Javed took her to his house to meet a woman named Zoya. The victim reached Zoya’s house where her husband Faizan was also present. Zoya and her husband asked the victim about her name, address etc. and after some time a boy named Shahrukh reached there. Zoya told the victim that he is her brother and lives in Jahangirabad. Shahrukh took the mobile number from the victim here. The conversation continued for a few days. Shahrukh started wooing her. The victim objected to this and told this to Javed. Javed took Shahrukh’s side and encouraged the victim to maintain the friendship. Shahrukh started pressuring the victim for a meeting. On 16 February 2025, at around 4 pm, Javed took the victim to Zoya’s house. Shahrukh was already present there. Leaving the victim there, everyone went out of the house. Shahrukh said that he loves her and wants to marry her. For this, first a relationship has to be made. The victim said that despite her repeated refusals, Shahrukh raped her. When Zoya, her husband Faiza and Javed returned after about an hour, the victim told them the whole thing. But they said that marrying Shahrukh would lead to a good life for her. So she should not tell this to anyone. After this, Shahrukh started making her a victim of lust again and again by threatening to defame her. He used to call her to Zoya’s house. As soon as he left, Zoya and her husband would leave the house and Shahrukh would rape her. He did bad things to her 4-5 times. Fed up, the victim told the whole thing to her family members. After which they reached the police station. Courtesy : Hindi News
One decision of Modi government and Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Brahmastra’ failed, now what will Tejaswi do in Bihar elections?
Caste Census In India: After the approval of the Union Cabinet to conduct caste census, the opposition has suffered a major setback. A big issue has slipped out of its hands. The entire opposition, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, RJD leader Tejaswi Yadav and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, had this strong issue to corner the BJP. Its effect was also seen in the Lok Sabha elections. BJP’s seats came down to 240 while the opposition’s seats reached 232. The opposition was also preparing to capitalize on this in the Bihar assembly elections. Central government bows down to the opposition Caste census got approval May get benefit in Bihar elections Patna: The central government finally had to come on the back foot on the question of caste census. Earlier the central government had refused to conduct caste census. During the hearing on this issue in the Supreme Court, the Center had cited technical difficulties. The opposition was making it an issue since the time of the Lok Sabha elections. Rahul Gandhi, who has been the PM face of India Block, has been saying till now that if his government is formed, the first thing he will do is caste census. The law of reservation will be made in proportion to the share of the people in the census. Rahul has even been saying that along with caste census, he will also end the limit of reservation. Caste census was an issue in Lok Sabha elections During the Lok Sabha elections, the opposition had included caste census among the major issues. In Bihar, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav was the first to take the initiative of caste census. He had first met Nitish Kumar on this issue. Nitish was the head of the NDA government then. Nitish sent a government delegation to Delhi in this regard. Since the central government had already refused to conduct caste census citing technical problems, Nitish Kumar later conducted caste survey at his own expense while running the government with RJD. The state government also bore the huge expenditure of Rs 500 crore on this. On the basis of the survey, the Nitish government increased the limit of reservation to 75 percent. However, the Patna High Court put a stay on the increase in reservation. The opposition in Bihar wanted to make it an issue in the assembly elections. But, BJP has foiled the opposition’s plan. The caste issue slipped out of Congress’ hands In the first Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi tried to cash in on the caste census. He said that he will get the caste census done if the government is formed. On that basis, reservation will be determined afresh. In the states where assembly elections were held after the Lok Sabha elections, all the opposition parties including Congress made caste census an election issue. In Jharkhand, it has been announced that a caste survey will be conducted by next year if the opposition alliance forms the government. To ensure that the opposition does not take advantage of this issue further, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the proposal to conduct caste census. It may have an impact on Bihar elections Assembly elections are to be held in Bihar this year. All the parties are trying to beat each other with their own moves. Rahul Gandhi has termed the caste survey conducted in Bihar as fake. He has talked about getting the caste census done again. However, now the Center has taken its decision, so the opposition will hardly get any benefit from it now. The opposition can now only boast that the central government, which had earlier refused under its pressure, has now agreed to conduct the caste census. The BJP will definitely try to tell that the caste census is its contribution. Earlier, Karnataka, Bihar and Telangana had conducted the caste census. So far, no benefit of this is visible on the ground in Bihar. Its report has not been implemented in Karnataka. Rahul Gandhi considers the caste census of Telangana to be perfect. He has been in favor of conducting similar caste census in every state. Now this issue of his, which the Congress leaders wanted to use as a ‘Brahmastra’ in the Bihar elections, is over. About the author Sudhendra Pratap Singh Senior Digital Content Producer at Navbharat Times Digital. Started the journey in journalism with the local newspaper Agrabharat. From here the caravan grew and reached NBT.com via Kalpataru Express, Hindustan News Paper, News18. Courtesy: Edited by Sudhendra Pratap Singh | Written by Omprakash Ashk, NBT, Hindi News
Government must give a timeline for caste census, says Rahul Gandhi
NEW DELHI: Rahul Gandhi demanded that the Centre provide the timeline by when caste census would be done, even as he warned that the exercise will only bear fruits if it is designed to ask the right questions as done by the survey conducted by Congress-led govt in Telangana. The Congress MP said caste census is required to know participation of weaker sections in institutions and power structure, so that they can be given “access to power”. As he dubbed caste census “a first step…a big step” in changing the development paradigm, Rahul demanded the govt abolish the 50% limit on reservations and immediately implement caste quotas in private educational institutions, in line with the Constitutional amendment of Article 15(5). But the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha expressed “immediate suspicion” that the govt on the census will adopt a “strategy on timeline” as in the women’s reservation bill, suggesting that its execution will be kept open-ended. Claiming BJP was forced to change its stance under Congress pressure, Rahul mocked, “PM Modi used to say there are only four castes but now suddenly announced caste census”. He was referring to Modi’s election speeches, in which the PM, rubbishing the demand for caste census, said the only four castes that exist for him are “women, youth, poor, farmers”. Rahul, who has turned caste census into a sort of mascot of Congress’s growing social justice platform over the past two years, held a presser to react to the govt announcement – indicating that he views it as a victory with evidence that “BJP can be pressured”. He asserted that Congress pushed the demand with a massive grassroots campaign, which had its effect on the govt. “We welcome the decision. It is our vision, they have adopted it,” Rahul said. Rahul said unlike Bihar, Telangana’s caste census is the model for doing the exercise, as the questions were crystallised through public consultation and not decided by bureaucrats. He offered to Modi govt Congress’s help in finalising the design of the census. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https://timesofindia.com and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
Centre’s caste census nod sparks credit war between BJP, Congress
NEW DELHI: Centre’s announcement to include caste enumeration in the upcoming general census has triggered a war of words, with both the ruling BJP and opposition parties scrambling to claim credit for the decision. Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Wednesday that the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs has approved the inclusion of caste enumeration in the forthcoming census, marking a significant shift in policy. The Congress party was quick to attribute the decision to Rahul Gandhi’s advocacy, claiming it as a victory for their leader’s vision. “Rahul Gandhi Ji said, “Start counting.” Now the Modi government is making arrangements for counting. When our leader Shri Rahul Gandhi Ji had said, “A caste census is the X-ray of society,” people from the ruling party mocked him, ignored him, and procrastinated,” Congress leader Jairam Ramesh wrote on X. — Jairam_Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) “He had been demanding this for a long time – raising the issue repeatedly in Parliament, public gatherings, and during his travels. But how long can the voice of millions demanding their rights be suppressed? Now the Modi government has agreed to conduct a caste census. Well, better late than never! This is a decisive step towards ensuring social justice. This is a victory for millions of people in India. It is a victory for all those who have been fighting for years for equality, fairness, and representation,” he added. However, BJP’s IT cell head Amit Malviya countered this narrative, pointing out the Congress party’s historical resistance to caste-based census. “Congress governments have consistently opposed caste-based census until now. In every census conducted since independence, caste has not been counted. In 2010, then Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh assured in the Lok Sabha that the Cabinet would consider the caste census. After this, a Cabinet Committee was formed, in which most political parties recommended a caste-based census. Despite this, the Congress government deemed it appropriate to conduct only a survey (SECC) instead of a caste census,” BJP leader Amit Malviya said. “Even after this, Congress and its allied parties used the issue of caste census merely for their political benefit,” he added. Union minister Kiren Rijiju also attacked Congress for taking credit and said that grand-old-party can “only talk. — KirenRijiju (@KirenRijiju) “I fail to understand why is Congress party taking credit??” Rijiju said. “Congress Party had opposed Caste Census & Reservations on records. PM Narendra Modi ji has taken right decision at right time. Congress can only talk nothing else,” he added. Taking to X, the Andhra Pradesh chief minister Revanth Reddy said, “We are proud that the actions of the Telangana govt for OBC empowerment have inspired the country, and India has agreed to follow our state’s lead.” — revanth_anumula (@revanth_anumula) “We congratulate the central govt on deciding to conduct a caste census as part of the next national census. Thank you, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the cabinet,” he added. A caste census involves systematically recording individuals’ caste identities during a national census. In India, where caste influences social, economic, and political life, such data can offer valuable insights into the distribution and socio-economic status of various caste groups. This information can help shape policies related to affirmative action and social justice. Caste enumeration was a regular feature of census exercises during British rule from 1881 to 1931. However, with the first census of independent India in 1951, the government chose to discontinue the practice, except for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https://timesofindia.com and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.