Language of Unity, Not Division: PUCL Urges Withdrawal of Order Targeting Urdu-Persian Words

Jul 01, 2025

By PUCL, Rajasthan

The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Rajasthan, has termed as discriminatory the letter written by the Minister of State for Home Affairs, Jawahar Singh Bedham, to the Police Department, in which he suggested replacing Urdu and Persian words used in the police department with Hindi words.

PUCL believes that Khari Boli Hindi and Urdu have developed together, and there is a natural interchange of words between the two. If Arabic and Persian words are removed from Hindi, the language would become unnatural and unclear, making it very difficult for the general public to understand. Similarly, Hindi words are also used in Urdu.

The language used in the Minister’s letter reflects communal prejudice. He has written that Urdu words are used in the police department because it was the language of rulers during the Mughal period. PUCL would like to point out that the Mughal rule ended over two and a half centuries ago, and after that, the country was ruled by the British for a long time. Therefore, linking language with rulers is meaningless.

PUCL stated that, like other states, Rajasthan does not have linguistic hostility. Languages have always served as bridges in our culture. Even within various dialects of the Rajasthani language, people have been using Arabic and Persian words with ease for centuries. Such efforts by the state government will only create distances between speakers of different languages. This kind of divisive order should therefore be withdrawn immediately.

Bhanwar Meghwanshi(President)

Anant Bhatnagar (General Secretary)

(Issued in response to a letter from the Rajasthan State Home Minister citing that the use of Urdu and Persian in police work causes “frequent misunderstandings, leading to delays in justice,” the State Home Minister has called for their “complete replacement… with Hindi words.” The minister’s letter argues this will establish “better communication between the police administration and the general public.”)