Four Census officials, including two women, were assaulted by members of a family in Odisha’s Dhenkanal district while conducting house listing and housing census duties on Wednesday, according to an official.
In a separate incident in the Khurda district, a female enumerator faced threats from a resident after arriving at his home to carry out the same census responsibilities.
Expressing deep concern, the state government announced it will develop a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to safeguard census personnel from physical violence and mitigate health risks posed by extreme heat.
The first incident occurred in the morning in the Mahimanagar area of the Kamakshyanagar Notified Area Council (NAC), where a team consisting of three enumerators and one supervisor had arrived to collect data for the census exercise that commenced on April 16.
“Four of our Census staff members were injured following an attack by three individuals—a man and his two sons. The police are currently investigating the matter, and strict action will be taken against the perpetrators,” stated Kamakshyanagar Sub-Collector Dinamani Nayak.
Nayak stated that the two sons have since been detained in connection with the incident.
The census officials alleged that the family attacked them immediately upon their entry, despite the staff displaying official identity cards and explaining the nature of their visit.
“They demanded to know why we had entered their property. Even after we presented our IDs and clarified our purpose, they attacked us with stones. I sustained facial injuries, and my two-wheeler was damaged,” stated Madhusmita Behera, one of the assaulted officials.
Raghunath Dixit, another official, alleged that the family launched the assault without any provocation and subjected them to verbal abuse. Dixit said that he suffered an injury to his finger during the altercation.
In a separate report reaching the state government, a female teacher identified as Ulasini Dei was threatened by a man while attempting to collect data at his residence in Govindpur Sahi, located within the Tangi NAC area.
Following the circulation of news regarding these incidents, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari held an emergency meeting with officials from his department and the census directorate. The Revenue and Disaster Management Department serves as the nodal authority for census operations in the state.
The minister said, “We have taken the matter seriously, and I will discuss it with the home secretary and the director general of police to ensure security of the census officials.”
Pujari said that more than one lakh employees are currently deployed for the first phase of the census, which is scheduled to run through May 15.
Odisha’s Director of Census Operations, Nikhil Pawan Kalyan, added, “We are taking strict precautions to ensure these incidents are not repeated anywhere in the state. I will coordinate with all district collectors to ensure that the employees performing this vital census work are treated with due respect.” Kalyan also appealed to the public to cooperate with officials visiting their homes.
The Minister further said that census workers are currently operating under gruelling heatwave conditions. Consequently, the staff have been advised to suspend door-to-door operations during the peak heat hours of 11 am to 3 pm.
Pujari emphasized that the upcoming SOP will outline comprehensive guidelines covering protective measures, emergency response protocols, and inter-departmental coordination to ensure both staff safety and the successful completion of the census.
The SOP aims to ensure smooth census operations and safeguard personnel from physical harm and heat-related risks, he said.
In a letter to all district collectors, Arabinda Padhee, the additional chief secretary, revenue and disaster management, said arrangements for the safety of the enumerators should be made during the census exercise.
Padhee highlighted a series of recent incidents, including the death of an enumerator in the Sonepur district suspected to be caused by a heart attack following census duty, and the disappearance of a female enumerator in the Mayurbhanj district.
Similarly, three minor accidents and heat stroke cases have been reported from Balasore District, while one accident case has been reported from Rourkela.
“In view of the aforementioned scenario, you are requested to make necessary arrangements to address heat-related issues, identify danger aspects during collection of data for the census and track the enumerators on a regular basis for their safety and smooth data collection,” Padhee’s letter to district collectors read.
