Census Chaos: Teachers Face Hostility in Mumbai

The house-listing phase of Mumbai's 16th census, nearing its June 14 deadline, is proving difficult for enumerators, primarily school teachers and government staff. These officials are encountering significant resistance, including being denied entry into slum clusters and stonewalled by housing societies. Some enumerators have faced outright hostility, being yelled at, doors slammed, and even chased away by dogs in some instances.

Many residents exhibit suspicion and a lack of familiarity with the census purpose. Questions regarding housing, amenities, and assets trigger fears of taxation, loss of welfare benefits, or potential eviction and redevelopment. This mistrust, particularly acute in marginalized settlements, is seen by sociologists as a reflection of past negative experiences with state institutions, such as evictions or exclusion from schemes.

This distrust transcends socioeconomic lines, affecting upscale housing societies as well, where residents have questioned the right of officials to ask personal questions. Misinformation linking census data to citizenship checks or loss of entitlements further exacerbates this "survey fatigue." With the deadline imminent, the primary challenge for enumerators is no longer data collection but alleviating public fear and encouraging participation. The next phase of the census, population enumeration, is scheduled for February 2027.