Poonam Nath

Assam: groundwork for caste census of indigenous Muslims underway: Himanta Biswa Sarma

Digital Desk: The Assam government started preparations for a thorough caste census to identify and distinguish the state's indigenous Muslim communities, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Tuesday.

Assam's indigenous Muslim communities have long advocated for a caste-based census to affirm their different socio-cultural identities, according to the chief minister's X post.

''Communities such as the Goria, Moria, Deshi, Syed, and Jolha (Julha) Muslims of the Brahmaputra Valley, along with the Kiren and Maimal Muslims of the Barak Valley, have consistently maintained that while Islam is their religion, they also possess unique ethnic, linguistic, and cultural traits that clearly differentiate them from migrant-origin or non-indigenous Muslim populations'', The CM stated.

Deeply ingrained in Assam's cultural environment and civilisational legacy, these communities have managed to preserve unique customs, dialects, and historical tales.

According to the chief minister, the Assamese government has started the process of conducting a thorough caste census to identify and categorise these indigenous tribes, in response to their long-standing request.

Their long-standing need for official acknowledgement of their own identity, as opposed to more general religious classifications and migrant groupings, is anticipated to be fulfilled by the proposed caste enumeration in the next national census, he said.

The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) decided on April 30 that caste count would be included in the upcoming census.

The Congress and other opposition parties have been calling for a nationwide caste census, making it a key election issue, and certain states, like Bihar, Telangana, and Karnataka, have conducted such surveys.