New Delhi: The High-Level Committee on Demographic Changes (HLCDC) constituted by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Union government has sought religion-wise data from states for the last 15 years about a large array of subjects, leaving state governments flummoxed, as the secular construct of the Constitution prohibits the collection of data under religious categories, said an exclusive report by Vijaita Singh for The Hindu on Tuesday (September 29).The religion-wise data for the last 15 years has been sought for birth and vehicle registrations, school enrolment and property transactions, as well as district-wise details of religious structures and unusual increases in Aadhaar, voter ID and ration card registrations.The HLCDC has also sought intelligence assessments and commission reports on religious conversions among Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities, and details of operational detention centres, among other information.The Hindu report cited state government officials who told the newspaper that other than birth registration, where the religion of the newborn is mentioned on the certificate, and the number of undocumented migrants apprehended or deported, the religion-wise data on all other categories were unavailable, owing to the fact that the secular construct of the Constitution prohibits collection of such religion-wise data.As a result, states are facing difficulties in answering the 35 questions asked by the committee, added the report.“Details of districts showing unusual school enrolment trends inconsistent with historical birth rates, along with reasons,” reads one of the questions.Another question asks states to furnish district-wise data on religious structures (temples, mosques, churches, etc.) established in the past 15 years, including details of any GIS mapping or other technology used for their identification.The HLCDC has also asked for data on district, religion, and year-wise voter registration data of the last 15 years for individuals “without prior-generation birth certificates or familial legacy records, including observed trends and concentrations”.The questions include information about policy directives, executive orders or amendments to land and municipal laws state governments have introduced over the past 15 years to curb unauthorised migration and settlement.The HLCDC has also sought suggestions on whether any new legislation was required to strengthen surveillance and take action to “reverse abnormal religious demographic change”.The Wire had earlier reported that the HLCDC, which has a mandate of studying “demographic changes arising from illegal immigration and other abnormal reasons”, does not include a demographer.This has raised questions not only about the quality of findings that will inform policy changes, but also about bypassing census operations, as Census 2027 is already underway. The committee’s sole focus on illegal immigration also ignores real concerns like dropping fertility and an aging population that are contributing to serious demographic changes in the country. The government’s committee, instead, diverts focus, allowing numbers to be weaponised to serve the ruling party’s political agenda.