Wed Nov 06 18:43:00 UTC 2024: ## Anglo-Indian Leaders Demand Reinstatement of Quota and Caste Census
**New Delhi, November 7, 2024:** Leaders of the Anglo-Indian community gathered in New Delhi on Wednesday, urging the Indian government to reinstate the quota for Anglo-Indians in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies. They also called for a comprehensive caste census to accurately determine the community’s population.
The leaders expressed concern that the Anglo-Indian voice remains unheard in Parliament and state legislatures due to the lack of representation. They criticized the government’s reliance on the 2011 Census, which was not a caste census, and which declared only 296 Anglo-Indians in the country.
“There is a population of nearly four lakh Anglo-Indians in India,” they argued. “It is cruel that the government denies representation to our community without ascertaining the true figures.”
Highlighting the community’s socioeconomic challenges, the leaders pointed to a 2013 study by the Ministry of Minority Affairs that revealed educational and economic backwardness, housing problems, and an identity crisis among Anglo-Indians. They questioned the government’s claim that the community is “well-off.”
Charles Dias, former Member of Parliament and convenor of the meeting, emphasized the historical contributions of the Anglo-Indian community to India. “They have almost lost control of the very institutions they built for the education of their children and are often denied admissions and appointments in these institutions,” he lamented.
The gathering demanded a separate enumeration of all castes, including a specific column for the Anglo-Indian community, in the upcoming Census. They also requested the appointment of a Commission to assess the community’s social, economic, and educational situation.
This call to action reflects the Anglo-Indian community’s determination to secure their rightful place in Indian society and ensure their voices are heard in the corridors of power.
First Piper 