The Rajasthan Police has directed all its officers to stop using the word "Dalit" in official records and verbal communication, instructing them to use the legally recognised term "Scheduled Caste" or "Anusoochit Jaati" instead.
The directive was issued on July 2 by the Miscellaneous Cell of the Rajasthan Police and has been circulated to all Directors General of Police, Police Commissioners, district Superintendents of Police, their deputies, and Station House Officers across the state.
According to the order, the word "Dalit" should not be used in official government communication, including First Information Reports, complaints, charge sheets, panchnamas, arrest memos, custody documents, case diaries, closure reports, forms, applications, certificates and official correspondence.
The order was issued by Gyanchand Yadav, Superintendent of Police, Miscellaneous Cell.
Speaking to NDTV, Yadav said the directive was based on earlier judicial and government orders.
"The word 'Dalit' will no longer be used as per the 2018 order of the Gwalior Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court and a Rajasthan government order issued by the Department of Information and Public Relations on March 16, 2019. We received directions from the Chief Minister's Office after a complaint pointed out that despite these orders, the word 'Dalit' continued to be used. Therefore, this fresh order directs officials to use 'Scheduled Caste' or 'Anusoochit Jaati' instead," he said.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had earlier issued an advisory asking media organisations to refrain from using the term "Dalit" in official broadcasts.
While "Scheduled Caste" is the term recognised under the Constitution and used in official records, "Dalit" has historically been used as a socio-political identity. The term was coined by social reformer Jyotirao Phule and later popularised by B.R. Ambedkar as a marker of social identity and resistance. Government records, however, continue to use the term "Scheduled Caste".