SRINAGAR: In a surprising turn of events, the Jammu and Kashmir police have launched a comprehensive “census’ to collect personal data, including details of foreign visits and suspected links to militant groups, from residents of the region.

This initiative has raised concerns about its legality, possible misuse and constitutionality.

While the rest of India postponed its national census due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 and then the general elections, Jammu and Kashmir launched its census drive, raising concerns about its legality and purpose.

Under the Indian Census Act, only the office of the Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner is authorised to conduct a census.

The Census Act, of 1948 specifically prohibits other agencies, including state governments or private organisations, from conducting censuses or population enumerations on their own. In addition, the Act guarantees the confidentiality of the information provided by respondents and prohibits its use as evidence in court.

Experts are, therefore, of the opinion that the involvement of the Jammu and Kashmir Police in this census is questionable as it contradicts the existing legal framework.

While the amended census rules allow researchers access to micro-data, they stipulate that it must be anonymised and the use of sensitive and personal information must be restricted.

Therefore, according to legal experts, the recent actions of the Jammu and Kashmir Police violate these legal requirements.

Forms distributed by the police stations

Residents in the Kashmir Valley have reported that police officers have been visiting households, distributing forms and asking residents to provide personal information.

The forms distributed by the police, obtained by Kashmir Times, ask for detailed information about the head of the family, family members living outside the region, their ages, contact details, Aadhar numbers, vehicle registrations, information about CCTV cameras installed and enquiries about family members associated with militant activities.

Residents must also provide photographs and the longitude and latitude coordinates (geo-tagging) of their residences.

The lack of transparency in the operation has unsettled many residents in the region. It is still unclear under what authority this operation is being carried out and its actual purpose.

The forms distributed by various police stations bear the heading “Census 2024” and are labelled with the name of the respective police station or the police post. Although the forms issued by the various police stations differ slightly, the information requested from residents is standardised.

This story was originally published in kashmirtimes.com. Read the full story here .