Big move by Assam Cabinet, Minority Certificates granted to 6 religious communities

In a major development, the Assam Cabinet on Sunday decided to provide Minority Certificates to people of six religious minority communities. These include Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and Parsis. The development was confirmed by Assam Minister Keshab Mahanta. 

"Assam Cabinet has decided to provide Minority Certificates to the people of six religious minority communities - Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and Parsis," Keshab Mahanta said, as per news agency ANI.

Notably, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had expressed his thoughts on redefining the minority status in Assam in April this year. The CM had stated that Muslims, who many think are the only minorities in India, are a majority in Assam’s several districts such as South Salmara-Mankachar in the west, where Muslims account for nearly 95% of the population.

Speaking during the Budget Session of the Assembly, the Assam Chief Minister had also rooted for a more granular division of religious minorities, which he believed should be decided at the district level. His remarks came after the Centre told the Supreme Court that states have the power to designate minority status. 

Assam Panel recommends ID cards to identify Muslims as 'Distinct Community'

While the Opposition had come down heavily on the CM's statement, at the same time, the Assam government had set up a panel that recommended a notification be passed in order to identify Muslims in the state as an 'indigenous group', to safeguard the rights of Assamese Muslims.

The panel recommended that a separate authority needs to be set up for Assamese Muslims so that the Directorate could provide the necessary documentation. This will help them to reflect their distinct identity which will be in the form of an identity card or a certificate, it asserted. 

On April 21, the seven sub-committees submitted their reports to the Himanta Biswa Sarma at a programme held at Janata Bhawan in Guwahati. The panels also suggested the enforcement of the population policy and measures to preserve, develop and promote historical sites and monuments associated with the Assamese Muslims. Further, the Sub-Committees of Cultural Identity gave several other recommendations to the state government for the all-around development of Indigenous Assamese Muslims.