The Siddaramiah led Congress government in Karnataka has taken yet another step towards dividing the society in the state. Recently, the government had sought to separate Lingayats from Hinduism. This time it has picked the police force.

In a hurriedly conducted survey based on a circular issued on March 17, the state’s policemen were asked to provide their caste details. The move has attracted the criticism of the BJP

After dividing people on religious lines, CM @siddaramaiah now comes up with yet another insidious plan to divide the state’s police force! He has ordered a caste census of 81K police officials. What has a ‘secular’ state got to do with caste of govt servants Mr. CM? pic.twitter.com/09XMwe8EtJ — BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) March 23, 2018

This move is strikingly similar to the larger insidious plan of the Congress-led government at the centre when it had tried to divide the army by asking for the religious composition of armed forces in 2006.

The home minister Ramalinga Reddy in his response to a Kannada channel Suvarna News has said that it was a part of ‘2-year-old routine survey by backward class [commission] and the new circular was sent as previous ones were not answered’. He added that this survey was not restricted to police force but all government departments. The minister further added that the move was not related to elections when questioned by the channel.

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Caste/religion census may adversely affect the morale of the security/police forces. Divisions in important institutions like the police force and the army are dangerous for any society as they are expected to ensure security for all the citizens impartially. It remains to be seen whether divisive agenda of Congress will stop or continue further in Karnataka before the assembly polls.