Assam on ‘Powder Keg’: Himanta Biswa Sarma Warns of Demographic Shift, Border Risks
Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday sounded a sharp warning over what he described as a dramatic demographic transformation in the state, claiming that nearly 40 per cent of Assam’s population is now of Bangladeshi origin, according to media reports.
Speaking at News18’s Rising Assam Conclave, Sarma said the scale and pace of demographic change have turned Assam into a “powder keg”, asserting that the share of residents of Bangladeshi origin has surged from around 10–15 per cent at the time of Independence to current levels.
Himanta Biswa Sarma Exclusive : बांग्लादेश, घुसपैठ और ‘चिकन नेक’, खुलकर बोले हिमंता बिस्व सरमा | Rising Assam Conclave#himantabiswasarma #bangladeshnews #fundamentalism #chickenneck #risingassamconclave@AnchorAnandN @himantabiswa pic.twitter.com/6Soya2FYyd
— News18 India (@News18India) December 22, 2025
The Chief Minister further claimed that by the 2027 Census, the population ratio of Hindus and Muslims in Assam could reach parity, a shift he said has made governance and social stability in the border state increasingly complex.
Sarma’s remarks came against the backdrop of escalating unrest in neighbouring Bangladesh, triggered by the killing of youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi—a prominent face of last year’s student uprising and a contender in the upcoming elections. Hadi was shot in Dhaka on December 12 and later succumbed to his injuries at a hospital in Singapore.
His death sparked widespread protests that have since expanded beyond student groups, with demonstrators clashing with security forces and targeting institutions perceived as political or ideological adversaries.
Linking regional instability to India’s security concerns, the Assam Chief Minister also flagged the vulnerability of the Siliguri Corridor, often referred to as the ‘Chicken’s Neck’—a narrow land stretch connecting the Northeast to the rest of India and flanked by Bangladesh on both sides.
Calling it India’s biggest strategic concern, Sarma said the country may need to secure 20–22 kilometres of the corridor, either through diplomacy or, if required, by force. He likened the situation to a medical emergency where “surgery becomes necessary when medicines fail.”
