Bathouism to be listed as separate religion in census

India Oct 17, 2025

For the first time, Bathouism—the traditional faith of Assam's Bodo community—will be officially listed as a separate religion in India's upcoming national census.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah confirmed that people can now identify as Bathou in census records, following years of community requests for recognition.

Significance of the move for Bodo community

This move is a big win for the Bodo community, who see Bathouism as central to their identity and culture.
Recently, the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) government started recognizing Bathouism on official forms, but national census inclusion takes it further—helping preserve Bodo heritage and ensuring the community is accurately counted in national data.