Guwahati : The Assam government disclosed on Thursday that between 1971 and 2014, a total of 47,928 individuals were identified as foreigners in the state. Notably, over 43 percent of them were Hindus, according to official records.

In a written response to a query from AGP MLA Ponakan Baruah, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma provided detailed statistics from the period.Of the detected foreigners, 27,309 were Muslims, 20,613 were Hindus, and six individuals belonged to other religions.

CM Sarma highlighted that the highest concentration of declared foreigners was found in Cachar district of Assam. Out of the 10,152 individuals identified as foreigners in Cachar, 8139 were Hindus, and 2013 were Muslims.

The Assam chief minister also referenced the Assam Accord, stating that individuals who entered the state on or after March 25, 1971, were to be identified, removed from the electoral rolls, and deported.Further, Sarma cited data from the 2011 census, noting that Assamese speakers constituted 48.38 percent of the state’s 3.12 crore population, totaling 1.51 crore people.

Meanwhile, the Bengali-speaking population, comprising both Hindus and Muslims, accounted for 28.92 percent of the population, with 90.24 lakh individuals. In response to concerns raised by Baruah regarding the growing number of non-Assamese speakers and its potential impact on indigenous communities, Sarma assured that the government is closely monitoring the situation.