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The article centers around a contentious statement made by Indian Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the dwindling Hindu population in Bangladesh. Shah asserted that Bangladesh, which had a 27% Hindu population at the time of Partition, now only has 9% Hindus due to forced religious conversions. This assertion comes at a time when Bangladesh has refuted claims of escalating attacks on its Hindu minority following the departure of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India. Shah's statement, delivered while handing over citizenship certificates to 188 Hindu refugees in Gujarat, highlights his government's 2019 Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which provides a pathway to citizenship for persecuted religious minorities from neighboring countries, excluding Muslims.
Shah's claim echoes a similar statement made by him several months prior, where he justified the CAA by referencing the declining Hindu and Sikh populations in Pakistan. In this instance, he claimed that the Hindu population in Bangladesh had fallen from 22% in 1951 to 10% in 2011. This claim was promptly disputed by fact-checker Abhishek, who provided evidence from archived census figures to refute Shah's claims. Abhishek pointed out that East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) was a part of Pakistan in 1951, and the combined population of Hindus and other religions (excluding Muslims and Christians) was 12.86% in Pakistan's first census. When excluding East Pakistan's data, the combined population of Hindus and other religions dropped to 7.5% of today's Pakistan. This analysis contradicts Shah's claims and indicates that his assertion regarding the Hindu population in Bangladesh is inaccurate.
Shah's claims about forced conversions in Bangladesh are particularly contentious, drawing attention to the delicate issue of religious freedom and minority rights in South Asia. The debate surrounding the CAA itself is fraught with controversy, as critics argue it is discriminatory and undermines secularism in India. Shah's recent statements further inflame these tensions, highlighting the ongoing challenges and complex dynamics surrounding religious identity and political discourse in the region.
Source: Amit Shah Repeats 'Bangladesh Religious Conversion' Claims