India, Dec. 28 -- Concerns surrounding Assam's demographic equilibrium and cultural identity have once again come to the forefront following renewed warnings by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma regarding the growing population of people of Bangladeshi origin in the state. Political leaders as well as sections of Assam's indigenous population fear that any further rise could significantly reshape the state's ethnic composition, social fabric, and cultural heritage.

The Chief Minister recently warned that Assam would cease to remain "the original Assam" if the population of people of Bangladeshi origin were to rise by another 10 percent. His remark is being interpreted as a strong indication of what he describes as a gradual but continuo...