27.0 Introduction
The word ‘religion’ (and Chhattisgarh; and they have assured me that the problem is sorted out.
(see The Hindu 2011)
• the Director of Census Operations Mr. Sachin Sinha, on the contrary said that ‘These were minor issues and the Census enumeration works were carried out successfully’ (see The Hindu 2011)
• contrary to these situations, the Gond tribes of Mandla and Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh, and Surguja in Chhattisgarh have alleged that the enumerators recorded their ‘religion’ as ‘Hindu’ and ‘language’ as ‘Hindi’.
When we told them that we are Gonds, they retarded back telling us that ‘it’ is your ‘caste name’ while your religion is ‘Hindu’, and that you would not be receiving the benefits of Government schemes if you did not register yourselves as the ‘Hindus’, reported Govind Porte, a Gond of Chorai Village in Mandla district. Consequently, the Gond tribes, led by the ‘Gondwana Gantantra Party’ have submitted to the Office of Registrar General & Census Commissioner of India and also to the Director of Census Operation, Bhopal highlighting the issue as Crucial to their Survival, and accordingly demanded of appropriate action. But the Director of Census Operation, Bhopal informed that “There have not been any formal complaint and... we have instructed everybody in the field to record every detail exactly as it is being told” (see The Hindu 2011)Put it in nutshell, we may summarise the events that happened during the Census operations, 2011 as follow:
(i) the enumerators asked the Gond tribal people to register themselves as the ‘Hindus’; and
(ii) the officials, concerned on the contrary reported that ‘the enumerators were told to record every detail as told’
From the above cited points, it may be highlighted that a contra-situation prevailed between the ‘real happenings’ and the ‘reporting of the officials concerned’ in connection with the Census operation, 2011.
27.3