Scheduled Caste survey: Here's why Bengalureans are upset
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Bengaluru: Confusion and anger continue to mount over Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike's (BBMP) Scheduled Castes Comprehensive Survey 2025, with residents questioning its methods, intent, and execution.
What began as a data-gathering exercise has drawn criticism for appearing hurried, opaque, and error-ridden — prompting the suspension of at least eight officials. BBMP, on its part, has also tried to clarify. But first, let's look at the criticism.
Criticism
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The main point of contention is BBMP's practice of affixing stickers outside homes declaring them "surveyed", often without any interaction with the residents.
Numerous individuals have reported that these stickers were placed even when no one was home, and no questions were asked. The stickers carry a QR code that allows self-reporting, but this nuance has largely gone unexplained to the public.
Residents from various neighbourhoods — including Jayanagar, Sulthanpalya, and Chickpet — have expressed concern that surveyors are bypassing verification altogether. In one Brahmin-majority area, advocate Gururaj Kulkarni reported stickers placed on homes of over 80 families without any interaction.
"Officials are supposed to collect data on SC/ST households, but they're randomly pasting labels instead," he said.
Criticism has also poured in online. Users on social media have questioned the logic behind stickering without surveying, with one resident calling it a "waste of crores of taxpayers' money".
Prominent Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar labelled the survey as "bogus" and posted on X: "What kind of legitimate survey involves secretly pasting notices on homes without speaking to the residents or collecting any actual information?" Tagging Lok Sabha leader of the opposition Rahul Gandhi and chief minister Siddaramiah, he asked, "Why are you planning to cheat the Scheduled Castes?"
What BBMP says
"The stickering was only to ensure that in our first round, the particular family was visited and no SC family goes without coverage."
While SC households can get themselves self-surveyed through the QR code in the sticker, he also stated that non-SC households should not bother about it. "If you are non-SC, this is not for you," BBMP special commissioner (welfare), Suralkar Vikas Kishor, clarified.
He also admitted to poor execution of the process with stickers being pasted randomly. "What has happened is our team has passed the sticker without interacting with the household, which is wrong, and for that, we have suspended officials across BBMP in different zones.
We'll be continuing that action if we find these kinds of things are happening," he told TOI.
Eight suspensions
TOI had earlier reported that BBMP had suspended two officials over the matter. Now, the total number is up to eight.
The suspended officials are Ramesh, revenue collector (East zone), Peddaraju, revenue inspector (East zone), Sendil Kumar, revenue inspector (RR Nagar), Kavita, revenue inspector (East), Ramanjeyalu, assessor (West), Praveen Kumar, assessor (RR Nagar), Hanumanta Raju CT, assessor (West), and Subhashini, revenue collector (South).
The survey, which began on May 5, is part of a statewide drive to gather data on SC households. But BBMP's execution has cast doubt on its credibility. Officials say corrective measures are being taken — but public trust, at least for now, appears in short supply.
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