Jaipur- The Rajasthan Police Headquarters has issued a fresh circular directing officials not to use the word "Dalit" in police records, official correspondence and government documents. Instead, officers have been instructed to use only "Scheduled Caste" in English or "अनुसूचित जाति" in Hindi. The order has triggered widespread debate across social media as well as political and social circles.

The circular, issued on July 2 by the Office of the Additional Director General of Police (Civil Rights & Anti-Human Trafficking), states that in compliance with the Government of India's circular dated March 15, 2015, and judicial observations, the term "Dalit" should not be used in official references to Scheduled Castes. It directs that all official correspondence, certificates, records and other government documents must use the terms "Scheduled Caste" in English and "अनुसूचित जाति" in Hindi.

The circular further states that the word "Dalit" should not be used in speech or writing in official work and directs all police officers to ensure compliance.

Over the past few days, the circular has been widely circulated on social media. Many posts portrayed it as if the use of the word "Dalit" had been completely outlawed. However, the circular primarily concerns the language to be used in official records and government documentation.

Even so, it has raised a larger question: Can a government circular erase a community's historical identity, its struggles and the social consciousness associated with a word?

The Mooknayak spoke with Dalit writer and social activist Bhanwar Meghwanshi, who has been engaging with the ideological history of the word "Dalit" since 2008.

According to Meghwanshi, the issue is far bigger than official terminology. He says, 'Harijan' and 'Untouchable' were caste labels imposed upon us by others. But 'Dalit' is an identity that our own community consciously embraced. The word transformed us from isolated castes into a collective community united through shared struggles. It gave expression to our history, our resistance and our political consciousness. Today, attempts are being made to erase this identity and push us back into fragmented caste identities. I have been resisting such efforts to undermine the ideological and historical significance of the word 'Dalit' since 2008."

"Is the Constitution a dictionary?"

Meghwanshi questioned the logic behind treating the absence of a word in the Constitution as grounds for discouraging its use.

"The first question is simple: Is the Constitution of India a dictionary? Does the Constitution contain terms such as 'women's empowerment', 'Bahujan', 'Adivasi', 'worker', 'farmer', 'minority', 'upper caste', 'backward class', 'middle class', 'poor', 'labourer' or 'feminist'? If not, does that make all these words unconstitutional? The Constitution guarantees rights; it does not impose censorship on language. It protects the dignity of citizens, it does not authorize the police to regulate the vocabulary people use", he asserts.

Meghwanshi argues that the word "Dalit" has a unique historical and political meaning.

He further noted that Dr. B.R. Ambedkar primarily used the term "Depressed Classes", which later evolved into the powerful political and social identity of "Dalit" in Indian languages.

"Later, the Dalit Panthers movement in Maharashtra transformed the word into a symbol of resistance. It entered literature, journalism, politics and universities. Subsequently, Kanshi Ram founded the Dalit Shoshit Samaj Sangharsh Samiti (DS-4). If the word 'Dalit' were offensive or unconstitutional, would he have named his movement after it? Would successive governments have accepted its usage for decades?", Meghwanshi questions.

Dalit Studies is taught globally

Meghwanshi pointed out that Dalit literature has become one of the most influential streams in Indian and world literature.

"Dalit poetry, Dalit autobiographies, Dalit feminist writing, Dalit journalism, Dalit history and Dalit Studies are today taught in some of the world's most prestigious universities. Will the Rajasthan Police now issue circulars to Oxford and Harvard asking them not to use the word 'Dalit'?"

Tracing the historical evolution of social labels, Meghwanshi says:

Why replace 'Dalit' with 'Vanchit'?

Meghwanshi also commented on the growing preference among certain ideological groups for the word "Vanchit" (deprived) instead of "Dalit."

"This is interesting because 'Vanchit' merely suggests that someone has been deprived. It does not reveal who deprived them. The word 'Dalit', however, makes it clear that oppression occurred and that there were oppressors. That historical responsibility remains recorded. Perhaps that is precisely what some people wish to erase."

Meghwanshi questions whether replacing a word could alter the realities of caste discrimination.

"Even today, thousands of cases of atrocities against Dalits are registered in Rajasthan. Sanitation workers continue to die while cleaning sewers. Dalits are still denied entry into temples. Honour killings over inter-caste marriages continue. Social boycotts still occur. Cases continue to be registered under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Will removing the word 'Dalit' make these realities disappear? Or is this merely an attempt to create the illusion of social change by changing terminology?"

The activist questioned whether language regulation falls within the mandate of the police.

"Is the job of the Rajasthan Police to prevent crime or to decide what language people should use? Will the police now decide what writers can write, what journalists can say and what vocabulary universities may teach? Will the next circular ban words like 'casteism'? Then remove 'Manuvad', 'Brahminism' and 'feudalism' as well. Erase every uncomfortable word from history. Will that rewrite history?"

Meghwanshi acknowledged that "Scheduled Caste" is the constitutional and administrative category used for reservations, census operations and welfare schemes.

However, he argued that "Dalit" occupies a fundamentally different space.

"'Scheduled Caste' is an administrative classification. 'Dalit' represents social consciousness, political struggle and cultural identity. The government may write 'Scheduled Caste' in its files, but the Police Headquarters cannot decide what a community chooses to call itself."

Not the first attempt to erase 'Dalit' word

According to Meghwanshi, this is not the first attempt to discourage the use of the word "Dalit."

"Earlier too, governments issued advisories and courts made observations regarding the use of the word. Yet Dalit literature did not stop. The Dalit movement did not stop. Dalit journalism did not stop. Universities around the world did not stop teaching Dalit Studies because history is larger than government files. If 'Dalit' is unconstitutional, why do Dalit Sahitya Akademis exist? Why is Dalit Studies an academic discipline? Why are the Dalit Panthers part of Indian political history? Why do Dalit women's movements and Dalit human rights organizations continue to exist?"

Meghwanshi also revealed that he is currently writing a book titled "The Intellectual History of the Word Dalit", which he said will be published soon.