Hindus: A vanishing tribe of the Indian Subcontinent

Malda riots are widely believed to have imperiled the existence of the minority Hindu community in the region. Many commentators are drawing parallels with the forced eviction of Kashmiri Pandits from the valley. In 1990, as last of the Pandits fled the valley for their safety, the existence of indigenous Hindus, who had inhabited Kashmir for millennia, was brought to an ignominious close. In Pakistan and Bangladesh, two countries, which had substantial Hindu populations just 6 decades ago, Hindus, exist only as characters in tales of distant past. The tiny Hindu communities that persevere are threatened, ridiculed and periodically hounded out.

Also read: Malda Riots: A product of Minority Appeasement and Lawlessness in West Bengal

The last census of British India was conducted in 1941. At that time, the total population of India was estimated to be 389 million people. Nearly 66% of this population followed the Hindu faith. In parts of British India that would become Pakistan and Bangladesh in the future, the population was 28 million and 42 million respectively. 14% of Pakistani and 28% of Bangladeshi population were Hindu. This Table puts things in perspective-

Post partition of India in 1947, the first census in India and Pakistan (including the future Bangladesh) was done in 1951. The population of India was estimated at 361 million, while the population of Pakistan and future Bangladesh was estimated at 33.7 million and 42 million. 84.1% of Indians were marked as Hindus, whereas 1.6% of Pakistani and 22.05% of future Bangladeshi population identified themselves as Hindus. This table puts things in perspective-

The next census in Indian subcontinent took place in 1961. The population of India was estimated at 438 million people, of which 83.5% followed the Hindu faith. The population of Pakistan was 43 million approx, with 1.4% Hindu population. The population of Bangladesh was 50 million, with 18.4% of the population identifying themselves as Hindu. This table puts things in perspective-

The next decadal census happened in the shadow of the catastrophic Indo-Pak war which created a huge refugee problem, following the Pakistani clampdown on Hindus in East Pakistan eventually leading to the partition of Pakistan and the birth of independent Bangladesh. The population of India was estimated at 548 million by the 1971 census. The 1972 census in Pakistan counted 71 million people approx. The 1974 census in Bangladesh 71 million people approx. 82.7% of Indians identified themselves as Hindu, whereas Hindus made up 13.5% of Bangladeshi population. Exact figures for Hindu population in Pakistan are not available, but 1.5% will serve as a good estimate. This table puts things in perspective-

Skipping decades now, Pakistan held its census in 1998 and counted 137 million people, with 1.6% Hindu population. India and Bangladesh held their censuses in 2001 next. India’s population in 2001was estimated at 1028 millions, with 80.45% identifying themselves as Hindu. Bangaldesh’s population in 2001 was estimated at 129.3 millions, with 9.2% of the population identifying themselves as Hindu.This table puts things in perspective-

The last census in the subcontinent was held in 2011. Bangladesh counted 142 million souls, with 9.2% of the population belonging to the Hindu faith. India counted 1210 million population, with 79.8% of the population identifying themselves as Hindu. Pakistan is due to hold a census exercise in 2016, but estimates indicate that its population is 176 million, with 1.5% serving as a decent estimate of Hindu population. This table puts things in perspective-

The graph shows the corresponding rise of Muslim population in percentage in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh and Indian subcontinent as a whole

The population situation in critical Indian states bordering Pakistan and Bangladesh is also highlighted in the Table below:

At one time the extent of Indian religions was from Central Asia in the North West to the isles of Indonesia. That was centuries ago. Nearer to present times, adherents of Indic religions (Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, animists) were as likely to be found in Peshawar as in Chennai, Hindu mendicants could be seen in Multan as well as Mymensingh, Hindu temples were present in Bahawalpur and even Chittagong. Karachi, Lahore, Dhaka and many other prime cities in Pakistan and Bangladesh had a Hindu majority. The partition of the subcontinent in 1947 created a formal divide between Hindus and Muslims. In spite of the fact that it was religious identity that decided the Radcliffe line, nearly 1/3rd of Muslims chose to stay back in India. Hindus and Sikhs in Pakistan and Bangladesh were not that lucky. Over the years, even the last vestiges of Hindu population of Pakistan were cleared out. Pakistan, a country through which the sacred Indus river flows, is now almost completely devoid of Hindu population. On the other hand, secular Bangladesh too has decimated its Hindu minority. Estimates indicate that the population of Hindus in that country has declined by 9 lakhs since 2001. Even in the subcontinent, the population of Hindus ever since 2001 is at the lowest proportion since the partition of the country.

Also read: Malda Riots and The Greater Bangladesh Project:

Our politicians, donning the garb of secularism refuse to accept the real reasons behind this tragedy. They refuse to accept the perils of illegal immigration, lack of population control and religious conversion. Instead of taking the Muslim community, that lives in poverty and misery, to the modern age, our politicians continue to pander to extremism and orthodox values, all for the sake of vote banks. What consequences this will have for the nation, only time will tell.

References:

http://www.esamskriti.com/essay-chapters/Religious-Demography-of-India-2.aspx

http://www.sociologydiscussion.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/image.png

http://www.newslaundry.com/2015/01/09/the-vanishing-hindus-of-pakistan-a-demographic-study-2/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographic_history_of_Pakistan

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_Census_of_India

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism_in_Bangladesh

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Bangladesh_census

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Bangladesh#Religion

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