Failure to count DNTs in 2027 Census could alienate over 10 crore people: G.N. Devy
As certain nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes (DNTs) across the country come together to demand a “separate column” for themselves in the 2027 Census forms, linguist and cultural expert professor GN Devy has warned that India risks further alienating these communities, who were classed as “criminal” under the colonial-era Criminal Tribes Act of 1871 and have not been counted since the founding of the Republic, if they are not explicitly counted.
In an exclusive interview with HinduProfessor Devy, who chaired the Ministry of Social Justice’s Technical Advisory Group on DNTs in 2006 and co-founded the DNT Rights Action Group (DNT-RAG) with author Mahasweta Devi, said the inclusion of DNTs should begin with a declaration from the Census Commissioner that these communities will be explicitly counted. He added that the problem of alienating more than 10 crore people could become much bigger than just counting them.
Edited Excerpts:
Given that caste will be enumerated in 2027, what opportunity does the upcoming census present for the prosperity of DNTs?
Both the census and the Criminal Tribes Act (CTA) were introduced in 1871. While the census continued uninterruptedly outside this period, the situation of DNTs continued without a proper census, except for 1931. The Iyengar Committee in 1950, the NHRC in the early 2000s, the Renke Commission in 2008 and the Idate Commission (2017) made this call. for DNT counting. However, ‘Were you DNT?, Were you a nomad or semi-nomadic? Or was it called the ancient crime tribe?’ It has never been included in census schedules.
If this is not done this time and DNTs are reintroduced with no specific data emerging at the end of implementation, India will alienate close to 10 million or more people from the mainstream. The problem may be much bigger than just the problem of calculation, tabulation and creating a suitable list.
Even in household surveys, this question should have been a priority question. Taking into account nomadic societies will be of interest to any home researcher. Those who do not have a home are included in the general classification. This is talking about homeless people but not DNTs.
This exclusion was the worst. This is a gratuitous evil and there is no reason for the census to exclude them. But the Census excludes them simply because it has done so before.
How can the government ensure that the Census actually covers DNTs?
First, the census must declare that DNTs will be enumerated. This message will reach communities across the country. Now saying “we will count everyone, so it will include DNTs” is like saying “we are not doing an independent and dedicated DNT count.” So this must be done. They don’t need any special permission to ask the question.
Second, the technology used must be accessible. In cases where it is not available, there should be a system where people can go to the office and declare their DNT status. Third, the Census should avoid creating a long and unmanageable list of documents, as historically even panchayats have refused to issue birth certificates to DNTs. And fourth, once the census receives data on DNTs, it should quickly consult the Anthropological Survey of India and get these data verified. And this data should be open to scrutiny by scientists when it comes to DNT.
There is resentment from many DNT communities over being misclassified in the SC/ST/OBC lists when searching for their own lists. Should the DNT classification exclude these identities?
The question of identity is never singular. The DNT identity does not exclude other identities. There is intersectionality. This is a complication in the bureaucratic process. I accept this. But this is not DNTs fault. We can’t tell them that we’ve already messed up our bureaucratic processes, so we can’t think of you anymore. This is not a good justification. These processes can be improved. Fortunately, with the help of technology, multiple classifications and multiple classification labels can be easily separated.
Amid calls for separate quotas for DNTs that exclude SC, ST and OBC identities (where they may exist), how can these reservations explain this intersectionality?
Reservation demands, DNT reservations and demands for DNT representation in the Assembly, Panchayat or Parliament have been around for a long time. But there are two different problems: The first is to just count the DNTs and create an actual report of who they are, where they are, and how many there are. The second question is whether they should be given a reservation or not. This will depend on the results of the census.
Political decisions on whether reservation should be given to DNTs and whether it should be in line with SC or ST reservation or independent are the next step. However, in the absence of reliable data, it is absolutely impossible to make such a decision. Being afraid that such a decision will have to be made and therefore not ranking is not a logical course of action. Let’s count first. Then governments will be able to decide and people will know whether to request reservations or withdraw the request.
It was published – 08 February 2026 21:53 IST
