'Caste census' begins in Karnataka, technical glitches reported in some parts
Bengaluru (PTI): The Social and Educational Survey, popularly known as the 'caste census' in Karnataka, commenced on Monday, with enumerators going door-to-door to collect data.
While the survey is underway in most parts of the state, officials indicated a potential delay of one or two days in the Greater Bengaluru area, where five corporations have been newly formed, due to training and necessary preparations.
The survey by the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes will see as many as 1.75 lakh enumerators, mostly government school teachers, covering around 7 crore people in approximately 2 crore households across the state.
"The survey is underway, we have received reports from various places," official sources said.
However, there were reports of technical glitches and server issues at several places, including Shivamogga, Haveri, Ballari, Chitradurga, Kodagu districts, delaying the survey in some places.
At many of these places, surveys continued after problems were solved, sources said.
According to officials, the survey, estimated to cost Rs 420 crore, will be conducted “scientifically,” using a 60-question questionnaire prepared for the exercise.
The commission is expected to submit its report to the government by December.
Amid criticism and objections from various sections, including within the ruling Congress, regarding the prepared caste list containing dual identity castes like 'Kuruba Christian', 'Brahmin Christian', the commission said the names of these castes will be "masked", but not removed.
Backward Classes Commission's Chairman Madhusudan R Naik on Sunday clarified that the list of castes in the survey handbook is solely for internal use and doesn’t have any legal sanctity. It was only to help the enumerators find castes as per the alphabetical order.
He said the app used for the survey will not display the 33 castes with dual identities, as they have been masked. However, citizens are free to declare them voluntarily.
Officials said each household will be geo-tagged using its electricity meter number and will be assigned a Unique Household ID (UHID).
During the data collection process, ration cards and Aadhaar details will be linked to mobile numbers.
For those unavailable at home during the survey and to address grievances, if any, a dedicated helpline number (8050770004) has been set up. Citizens can also participate online, they added.
The Karnataka High Court on Monday said it will hear on September 23 arguments on whether the ongoing survey, being carried out, should be stayed.
A batch of petitions challenging the legality of the survey is before the HC bench.
The survey is taking place amid efforts by various castes and community groups to consolidate their respective population, aimed at ensuring their numerical strength.
Aimed at consolidating their castes strength, seers and leaders of Vokkaligas, a dominant community, have asked their people to identify their religion as ‘Hindu’ and caste as just ‘Vokkaliga’, while “sub-caste should be mentioned only if it is absolutely necessary.
A delegation of Vokkaliga Congress leaders met AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, seeking the postponement of the survey. They expressed concerns over the lack of preparation and training. They wondered how the survey would be completed in 15 days and sought three months instead.
There seems to be some lack of clarity among another dominant community, the Veerahaiva-Lingayats, as leaders have suggested the community members exercise their discretion while mentioning their religion, while urging them to mention Veerashaiva-Lingayat in the caste column. There were voices within the community to mention Veerashaiva-Lingayat as a religion, instead of Hindus.
Several other communities like Kurubas, Muslims, Scheduled Castes, Brahmins, among others too have held brainstorming sessions to decide how to identify themselves during the survey in order to consolidate their numbers.
The BJP, which has accused the Congress government of conducting the survey "hastily" to "divide Hindus", has also questioned the need for the exercise, when the Centre has already announced caste enumeration in the national census.
BJP state BJP President B Y Vijayendra charged the Congress government with trying to divide the Hindu society, and called it "unfortunate".
He termed the caste census as the "misadventure" of the state government, despite not having any powers to conduct such a survey.
The government had spent Rs 165.51 crore on an earlier Social and Educational Survey in 2015, which was later discarded.
The Karnataka Cabinet on June 12 approved a fresh survey, effectively nullifying the 2015 exercise, citing Section 11(1) of the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1995, which mandates a revision of the state backward classes list once every 10 years.
Several communities, notably Karnataka’s two dominant groups—Vokkaligas and Veershaiva-Lingayats—have expressed strong reservations about the 2015 survey, calling it “unscientific” and demanding a fresh enumeration. There were also opposing voices from within the ruling Congress party.
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Pak police registers case against unidentified gunmen for opening fire on LeT co-founder
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Lahore (PTI): Pakistan's Punjab Police on Friday registered a case against unidentified gunmen for opening fire on Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) co-founder Amir Hamza, who suffered bullet injuries in the attack in Lahore.
On Thursday, two unidentified gunmen riding on a bike opened fire on the vehicle of the private TV channel 24NewsHD TV, owned by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, on Peco Road in Lahore near the TV channel's office.
In the attack, Hamza suffered bullet injuries.
"The FIR has been registered against unidentified gunmen, but it is sealed forthwith," a senior police officer told PTI.
He said the intelligence agencies have taken over this case from the police, and they are currently investigating the matter.
The channel's religious programme host Justice (retd.) Nazir Ahmed Ghazi and Hamza were in the vehicle when it was attacked. Hamza was shifted to a hospital for treatment.
Punjab police on Friday said that "upon receiving information about the incident, the SSP Operations immediately reached the scene and a high alert was imposed in the area. SSP Operations Tauqeer Naeem also met the affected individuals. Thankfully, all present in the vehicle remained safe during the firing."
It further said senior police officers of the Township and Chung, along with a heavy police contingent, were present at the scene.
"Police collected evidence from the site and initiated an investigation. Efforts to arrest the suspects are underway using CCTV footage and geo-fencing techniques. Search and sweep operations are being conducted at various locations, with scrutiny of suspicious individuals ongoing," police said.
It added that those involved in the incident will be traced and arrested soon.
The police sources said that Hamza has been shifted to his residence in Jauhar Town, Lahore, where police and agency personnel met him.
The leadership of the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML), a political front of Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed's banned Jamat-ud-Dawah (JuD), including Hafiz Saeed's son Hafiz Talha Saeed, also called on him.
TV host retired Justice Ghazi, who remained unhurt in the attack, remained a legal counsel for Hafiz Saeed, they said.
The PMML has strongly condemned the attack on Hamza and demanded that those involved in the incident be arrested immediately.
Hamza is regarded as LeT's second most important leader after its chief Hafiz Saeed, who has been in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat Jail since 2019 after getting convicted for several years in terror financing cases.
Hamza has been designated as a terrorist by the US. In the past, he served as the head of LeT's "special campaigns" department.
In 2018, Hamza formed a fundraising group for the LeT following a ban on the JuD and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation by the Pakistani government.
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