"Deliberate demographic change threatening Assam’s identity", says Ashok Singhal over Dhubri cow head incident

A serious controversy has broken out in Dhubri district of Assam after cow meat was allegedly thrown near Hindu temples. The incident has sparked widespread anger among locals, especially members of the Hindu community. Assam’s Health and Family Welfare Minister, Ashok Singhal reacted to the incident calling the act a clear sign of a much larger and long-running issue.

“This is not just an isolated act of provocation,” Singhal said. “The desecration of Hindu faith in Dhubri is part of a deeper problem; the deliberate demographic transformation of entire regions in India.”

The minister said how the Hindu population in Dhubri has seen a sharp decline over the decades. In 1951, Hindus made up 43.5% of the district’s population. This percentage dropped to 35.54% by 1971. In 1991, the number declined further to 34%, and by 2011, it had fallen sharply to just 20.33%.

“That’s a 40.21% decline over six decades,” said Singhal. “These are not just numbers — they reflect a major shift that could have serious cultural and geopolitical consequences.”

Singhal accused political parties like the Indian National Congress and the AIUDF of encouraging vote-bank politics while ignoring the issue. He claimed that policies and political silence over the years have contributed to the demographic imbalance.

“What is happening in Dhubri is not new. It is the result of years of inaction, and if we keep ignoring it, our land and our heritage will continue to slip away,” he said. “This 0.5 front, if unchecked, could soon become a full-fledged third front.”