The self-enumeration portal for the ongoing Census had been showing Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh as a Chinese town named Medog, a retired Indian Air Force officer pointed out on Saturday. Hours later, census officials said the error had been resolved.
In a social media post, Mohonto Panging Pao, who is a resident of Pasighat, had shared coordinates showing the label “Medog, Pasighat” and said the matter required “urgent intervention”.
Pasighat is the oldest town in Arunachal Pradesh. Medog is a county across the Line of Actual Control in China.
Later on Saturday, the office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner said the matter had been “raised with the map services provider, and it has been resolved”.
Pao told The Hindu that he noticed the discrepancy during an attempt to complete the self-enumeration process. He was unable to proceed after seeing the incorrect name, he added.
The Census 2027 is taking place in two phases, with house-listing having begun on April 1 and set to continue until September, followed by population enumeration in February 2027.
Residents opting for self-enumeration are required to mark the location of their household on a digital map provided on the portal.
China has long sought to rename places in Arunachal Pradesh. Beijing lays territorial claims over a large portion of Arunachal Pradesh, claiming that it is “South Tibet”. China refers to Arunachal Pradesh as Zangnan. India has rejected China’s claims.
On April 12, the Ministry of External Affairs rejected “mischievous attempts” by China to assign “fictitious names” to places that form part of Indian territory.
Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that attempts by Beijing to introduce “false claims and manufacturing baseless narratives cannot alter the undeniable reality” that the places and territories, including Arunachal Pradesh, “were, are and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India”.
The reaction came in response to Beijing announcing Chinese names for several places in Arunachal Pradesh.
Just 0.2% of readers pay for news. The others don’t care if it dies. You can help make a difference. Support independent journalism – join Scroll now.
We’re not driven by clicks or corporate interests – just honest, independent reporting. Keep us going. Support Scroll today!