Monday, February 14 2005 16:35 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kochi: National Commission for Minorities (NCM) today (Feb 14, 2005) said there has been "abnormally high" growth of Christian population in North East India, especially in districts bordering Bangladesh, and the Commission had sought details from the Christian leadership.

While the proportion of Christians in India has remained the same for both decades, 1991 and 2001 at 2.3 per cent, in terms of percentage, Nagaland, Mizoram and Meghalaya have the highest percentage of Christians 90 per cent, 87 per cent and 70.3 per cent respectively, Commission chairman S Tarlochan Singh told reporters in Kochi.

The Commission today held a meeting on scientific analysis of census data of 2001 of Christian community in India, in which church heads, including cardinal Mar Varkey Vithayathil, Major Archbishop of the Syro Malabar church participated.

The report, 'Christians in India', presented by Prof Ashish Bose, Chairman, NCM Expert committee on 'Census Data On Religion', was discussed at the meeting.

Later, addressing a press meet, Singh said given the ethnic demands and socio-cultural diversity in the North Eastern states, it would be 'unscientific' to make hasty generalisations.

"We believe that the possibility of illegal Muslim migrants from Bangladesh reporting as Christians cannot be ruled out," Singh said. There was every possiblity of the migrants recording their religion as Christian as a survivial strategy, he said, adding this needs to be looked into.

Singh said the Commission had urged the Christian leadership to discuss the report.