A panel set up by the Assam Government has recommended a notification for identifying Assamese Muslims as a distinct, indigenous community and undertaking a census to document them.
The panel comprising seven sub-committees also sought a separate directorate or authority for Assamese Muslims for documenting the members of the community and providing each of them with a certificate or identity card. The objective is to not club them with Bengali-speaking or Bengal-origin Muslims often viewed as “illegal migrants” or “Bangladeshis”.
