KARIMGANJ, Feb 4: Demographic profile of the State over the years has been definitely undergoing a thorough transformation which is alarming, according to social thinkers. It is really doubtful, they observed, whether the conscious segment of the people of Asom are at all aware of this grim fact. Though more than a century back French philosopher Comte (1798-1857) had equated demography with destiny, it appears that so-called alert section of society is largely ignorant on the destiny of the State vis-a-vis demographic changes.
Demographic questions are avoided from all political discourses in the State because of the dubious electoral interest involved in the issue.
People of Karimganj district have been feeling the demographic change heat for decades. Just a casual comparison of census figures of some of the districts of the State between 1991 and 2001 will speak for itself.
Out of 23 districts of Assam, as per 1991 census, 19 districts were Hindu majority while remaining 4 (Dhubri, Goalpara, Barpeta and Hailakandi) were Muslim majority. But within a span of 10 years, as per 2001 census, number of Hindu majority districts came down to 17 out of 23 and Muslim majority districts rose to 6 including Nagaon and Karimganj (shown in table)
Sl.No/ District /Relgion /1991Population % / 2001 Population %/ Rate of population growth during 1991-2001
1. Dhubri Hindu 382817 28.73 405065 24.74 5.81%Muslim 938789 70.45 1216455 74.29 29.57%2. Goalpara Hindu 266499 39.89 314157 38.22 17.88%Muslim 335275 50.18 441516 53.71 31.68%3. Barpeta Hindu 557929 40.26 662066 40.19 18.66%Muslim 776974 56.07 977943 59.37 25.86%4. Haila- Hindu 196269 43.71 223191 41.11 13.71%kandi Muslim 246016 54.79 312849 57.63 27.71%5. Nagaon Hindu 979395 51.73 1106354 47.80 12.96%Muslim 893322 47.19 1180267 51.00 32.12%6. Karim Hindu 414731 50.15 470708 46.70 13.49%ganj Muslim 406706 49.17 527214 52.30 29.63%
As regards Christians in the State it was observed that decennial growth rate (during 1991-2001) is more than 30 per cent in 11 districts (having Christian population of more than ten thousand in 1991) vis-a-vis Kokrajhar (58.13 per cent), Nalbari (68.31 per cent), Kamrup (39.08 per cent), Sonitpur (35.35 per cent), Jorhat (40.06 per cent), Sivasagar (34.96 per cent), Tinsukia *31.30 per cent), Karbi Anglong (42.35 per cent), NC Hills (35.95 per cent), Nagaon (36.73 per cent), Cachar (35.24 per ecnt) against a declining Hindu growth rate of 14.95 per cent.
As per the statistical hand book of the State Government, the total population of Asom was 2,66,38,307 in the year 2001. The religion wise break-up are as follows: Hidu-1,72,96,455; Muslim - 82,40,611; Christian - 9,86,589; Others - 1,14,752.
It may be mentioned here that as early as 1996, Dr Udayan Misra, reputed social scientist of Asom observed: “Far-reaching culture changes are bound to follow the shift in the democratic balance, with the segment of immigrant Muslims in Assamese society registering a sharp rise. Unlike the Muslims of the earlier period who, for a variety of reasons, got assimilated within the Assamese cultural framework, the substantially large Muslim population of today cannot be expected to accept Assamese cultural icons that easily. (Paper read at the seminar held at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla during November 12 to 14 1996).
It appears that nobody has taken any notice of the grim warning though the situation has been fast moving towards a greater catastrophe involving not only cultural but other more vital dimensions.
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