KOCHI: Kerala remains the only place in the country where the Anglo-Indian community receives any form of institutional support, with the state having classified the community under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category as early as 1993.
Community leaders say outside Kerala, justice continues to be a distant dream as Anglo-Indians in most other states are not included in any recognised caste or community list, effectively excluding them from welfare schemes and affirmative action frameworks.
The sense of marginalisation has been further intensified by what the community describes as a serious anomaly in the 2011 Census, which recorded the total Anglo-Indian population in India at just 296. Several Anglo-Indian organisations have strongly disputed the figure, pointing out that the membership strength of individual associations alone exceeds the census count.
Leaders note that the discrepancy, which came into the public domain only in 2018, remains uncorrected even years later. “My association, formed in 2003, itself has more than 300 members. Naturally, the 2011 Census figures shocked all of us. These erroneous data became public in 2018, and we are still fighting for justice,” says Augustine Roy Rozario, founder and president of the Anglo Indian Suburban Front, Tamil Nadu.
In many states, it is extremely difficult to obtain a community certificate because they are not classified anywhere, he says. “This is the biggest logjam we are facing, and a community of nearly five lakh people is waiting the intervention of the Centre to resolve it,” Rozario points out.
Community representatives argue that the stark contrast between Kerala and the rest of the country reflects a broader official apathy towards the socio-economic realities of Anglo-Indians.
A Socio-Economic Study of the Anglo-Indian Community conducted in 2013 had already underlined these concerns. The study -- carried out in Kolkata (West Bengal), Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh), Bengaluru (Karnataka), Chennai (Tamil Nadu) and Kochi (Kerala) under the Ministry of Minority Affairs and led by the then Union Minister of State Ninong Ering -- identified identity crisis, unemployment, educational backwardness, lack of adequate housing, and cultural erosion as the major challenges confronting the community.
However, community leaders allege that both the Centre and most state governments failed to act on the findings of the report and did not initiate any meaningful policy interventions.
Excluded, says community
Anglo-Indian leaders allege that in most other states the community is not classified under any category, excluding them from welfare and affirmative action benefits.
The community has strongly disputed the 2011 Census figure of 296 Anglo-Indians, calling it erroneous and uncorrected despite being flagged in 2018.
A 2013 socio-economic study under the Ministry of Minority Welfare identified unemployment, educational backwardness and identity crisis as key challenges but saw no policy action.
Community leaders have urged the Centre to correct census data, ensure uniform classification across states, and provide targeted support to prevent further marginalisation.