In 1951, West Bengal had 78.45% Hindus and 19.85% Muslims. By 2011, the Hindu population had decreased to 70.5%, and the Muslim population had increased to 27%.

Now, in 2025, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claims that the minority population in the state has reached 33%, meaning the Hindu population has decreased to around 65%.

Why is the Hindu population continuously decreasing in Bengal? And can the increasing Muslim population in Bengal be considered natural growth? These questions need serious consideration.

Looking at the 2011 data, the Muslim population was recorded as significantly higher than the Hindu population in the border districts of Bengal such as Malda, Murshidabad, and Dinajpur. Shockingly, a tremendous increase in the Muslim population has been observed in the border districts of Bengal. In these districts bordering Bangladesh, the Hindu population has decreased rapidly, while the Muslim population has either become larger than the Hindu population or equal to it.

Of the 4,096-kilometre-long border between India and Bangladesh, 2,216 km fall in West Bengal. If you look at the map, districts such as Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Siliguri, Dinajpur, Malda, Nadia, 24 Parganas, and Murshidabad are adjacent to the border. Experts are saying that the increase in the Muslim population in many districts is far more than natural growth. In Birbhum and 24 Parganas too, the Muslim population is said to be much higher than the state’s average Muslim percentage, and the Hindu population........

© News18