Bodo Groups Protest Language’s Exclusion from Census Portal

KOKRAJHAR, August 9, 2026 — The Bodo Sahitya Sabha and the All Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU) have protested the alleged exclusion of the Bodo language from the Census Self-Enumeration Portal during the ongoing first phase of self-enumeration.

At a joint press conference at Bodofa House in Kokrajhar on Saturday, the organisations said the omission was an insult to the dignity of the Bodo community.

Bodo Sahitya Sabha president Gopinath Boro Goyary and ABSU president Khauramdao Owari said Bodo is a constitutionally recognised language included in the Eighth Schedule and is also recognised as an associate official language by the Assam government.

The organisations questioned why Bodo had not been included in the self-enumeration process despite its official recognition, alleging that the omission amounted to discrimination against the language and its speakers.

They urged the Government of India, Assam government and Registrar General of India (RGI) to address the issue at the earliest.

The organisations warned that failure to resolve the matter could lead to a series of democratic programmes involving the Bodo Sahitya Sabha, ABSU and other allied organisations.

The Bodo Sahitya Sabha also appealed to political and non-political organisations, including the Assam Sahitya Sabha and AASU, to raise the issue.

Goyary said the organisation would, if necessary, meet the Assam Chief Minister and the Registrar General of India to press its demands.

The organisations said the Census Self-Enumeration Portal currently provides forms in 16 languages, including English, but Bodo has not been included.