Key Points:

The Haryana government has directed all its departments, public bodies and educational institutions to discontinue the use of the terms “Harijan” and “Girijan” in any official communication. The Haryana Chief Secretary’s Office issued a letter with the directive on Tuesday, 13 January 2026. The letter stated that these expressions are not officially recognised by the Constitution of India for addressing Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).

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All Administrative Secretaries, Heads of Departments, Boards, Corporations, Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), Divisional Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners, Sub-Divisional Officers (Civil), and Registrars of Universities were instructed to strictly avoid the use of these terms in official records, correspondence and communication by the state government. They have further been asked to use the constitutionally accepted terms Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).

The letter directed that official terminology must follow constitutional provisions and central guidelines. Earlier, such instructions were issued by the Government of India, which clearly state that the use of these terms should be discontinued in official dealings. The state government reportedly reviewed the issue recently, leading to the observation that some departments were not strictly adhering to the central instructions.

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The official statement said, “Consequently, all departments and authorities have been directed to ensure full compliance with the central government’s guidelines and to discontinue the usage of the terms ‘Harijan’ and ‘Girijan’ in all official records, correspondence and communications.”

The term “Harijan” was first used by Mahatma Gandhi to refer to SCs, meaning “people of God.” However, the usage of the term was strongly opposed by Dr B.R. Ambedkar, who said that it masked the realities of caste-based discrimination and instead preferred the term Dalit. Over time, both the central and state governments have moved towards adopting constitutionally sanctioned and community-preferred terminology in official usage.

The Haryana government’s instruction highlights the need for uniformity, constitutional correctness and sensitivity in official language, while warning all authorities to strictly adhere to the directive.

(SY)

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