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Every year, December 18th is celebrated as Minorities Rights Day in India. This year, it will be celebrated tomorrow. The purpose of this day is to spread awareness about the rights, security, and equality of minority communities living in the country. While India is often seen as a Hindu-majority country, the ground reality is that in some states and Union Territories, the Hindu community itself is in a minority. So, let’s find out which more than five states have a Hindu minority, despite India having over 100 crore Hindus.
What does the 2011 Census say?
According to the 2011 census data, there are eight states and one Union Territory in India where the Hindu population is less than 50 percent. In these areas, either the Christian or Muslim community is in the majority. This clearly shows that India’s religious diversity is quite different not only at the national level but also at the state level.
Hindu Minority in These States
According to the 2011 census, the states and Union Territories with a low Hindu population include Ladakh, where the Hindu population is approximately one percent. Besides this, Mizoram has approximately 2.8 percent, Lakshadweep has 2.8 percent, Jammu and Kashmir has approximately 4 percent, Nagaland has approximately 8.7 percent, Meghalaya has approximately 11.5 percent, Arunachal Pradesh has about 29 percent, Punjab has approximately 38.5 percent, and Manipur has approximately 41.3 percent Hindu population. These figures clearly show that in some states, the Hindu community is a minority in terms of numbers, even though Hindus constitute the largest religious group in the country’s total population.
Central Government’s Stance on Hindu Minorities
For quite some time, there has been a demand in many parts of the country to grant minority status to Hindus at the state level. This matter even reached the Supreme Court. Regarding this issue, the central government clarified in the Supreme Court that state governments can grant minority status to Hindus in states where their population is low. The government also cited an example, stating that Maharashtra granted minority status to the Jewish community in 2016. Karnataka, on the other hand, had declared several languages as minority languages in the state. However, the central government had also stated that giving states the sole authority to enact laws related to minorities would be unconstitutional, as the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992, is a law enacted by Parliament.
What is the definition of a minority?
Currently, in India, the Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, and Parsi communities have been granted minority status at the national level. This status is determined on a nationwide basis, not state-wise. This has often raised the question of whether a new definition of minority should be adopted at the state level based on population.
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