Vadodara Census Worker Assault Fir Census Duty Obstruction

The Vadodara city police Sunday booked an unidentified man for allegedly assaulting the fiancé of a government-appointed census worker, abusing the couple and obstructing official census duties in the city’s Manjalpur area.

According to the complaint filed at the Makarpura police station, Rinku Damor, 32, an Anganwadi worker attached to the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) branch of the Women and Child Development Department in Jashoda Colony area, was assigned the area as a field enumerator for the ongoing census operation involving house-listing and building enumeration.

Damor, who resides at the Pratapnagar headquarters, stated that she and her fiancé, Prakash Baria, visited Dreamland Complex near Darbar Chokdi and Suncity Circle on Saturday at around 3 pm as part of the survey exercise. During the visit, Damor noticed that the shutter of Shop No. 23, operating as Angel Enterprise, was partially open. Following census protocol, she marked a census identification number outside the premises.

Shortly thereafter, an unidentified man allegedly approached the pair and questioned why the number had been written on the shop. Despite being informed that the marking was part of a government census exercise, the man allegedly became agitated and objected to the survey work, the complaint states.

The complainant alleged that the man demanded the number be erased and began hurling abuses. The confrontation escalated into a heated argument, during which he allegedly assaulted Bariya by slapping him and continued behaving aggressively with Damor as well. Nearby shopkeepers reportedly rushed to the spot and intervened, separating the parties and preventing the situation from escalating further.

Damor alleged that the incident disrupted census operations, a government exercise considered crucial for collecting demographic and housing data used in national planning and policy formulation. Based on her complaint, the Makarpura police registered an FIR under sections 115(2), (voluntarily causing hurt), 296(b) (use of obscene or abusive words in a public place), and 221 (obstructing a public servant in the discharge of official duties) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Aditi Raja is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, stationed in Vadodara, Gujarat, with over 20 years in the field. She has been reporting from the region of Central Gujarat and Narmada district for this newspaper since 2013, which establishes her as a highly Authoritative and Trustworthy source on regional politics, administration, and critical socio-economic and environmental issues. Expertise: Core Authority & Specialization: Her reporting is characterized by a comprehensive grasp of the complex factors shaping Central Gujarat, which comprises a vast tribal population, including: Politics and Administration: In-depth analysis of dynamics within factions of political parties and how it affects the affairs in the region, visits of national leaders making prominent statements, and government policy decisions impacting the population on ground. Crucial Regional Projects: She consistently reports on the socio-economic and political impact of infrastructure projects in the region, especially the Statue of Unity, the Sardar Sarovar Project on the Narmada River, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail bullet train project as well as the National Highway infrastructure. Social Justice and Human Rights: Her reporting offers deep coverage of sensitive human-interest topics, including gender, crime, and tribal issues. Her reports cover legal proceedings from various district courts as well as the Gujarat High Court (e.g., the Bilkis Bano case remission, POCSO court orders, Public Interest Litigations), the plight of tribal communities, and broader social conflicts (e.g., Kheda flogging case). Local Impact & Disaster Reporting: Excels in documenting the immediate impact of events on communities, such as the political and civic fallout of the Vadodara floods, the subsequent public anger, and the long-delayed river redevelopment projects, Harni Boat Tragedy, Air India crash, bringing out a blend of stories from the investigations as well as human emotions. Special Interest Beat: She tracks incidents concerning Non-Resident Gujaratis (NRIs) including crime and legal battles abroad, issues of illegal immigration and deportations, as well as social events connecting the local Gujarati experience to the global diaspora. ... Read More