Hindus converted to Islam on ‘large scale’ in West Bengal: Ahir

Hindus have converted to Islam on a ‘large scale in West Bengal’ as per National Commission for Other Backward Classes (OBC) chairperson Hansraj Ahir.

As per national media reports, Ahir said the National Commission for Backward Classes had made an official visit to West Bengal on February 25 this year.

He said during its investigation, the Commission found that the Cultural Research Institute report of the Government Institute of West Bengal stated that Hindus have converted to Islam on a large scale in West Bengal.

According to the 2011 census, West Bengal has over 24.6 million Muslims, making up 27% of the state’s population. The vast majority of Muslims in West Bengal are ethnic native Bengali Muslims, numbering around over 22 million and comprising 24.1% of the state population (mostly they reside in Rural areas). There also exists an immigrant Urdu-speaking Muslim community numbering 2.6 million, constituting 2.9% of the state population and mostly residing in the urban areas of the state.

Ahir further revealed that the West Bengal government has sent a proposal to the National Commission for Backward Classes to include the Qureshi Muslim caste in the central list of OBCs.

Though the West Bengal government does not consider Qureshi Muslim as a caste and has not included it in the state list of OBCs, the Bengal government has sent a proposal to include the Qureshi Muslim caste group in the central list of OBCs as National Backward Classes.