New Delhi, May 26 (IANS): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday announced the formation of a five-member high-level committee to examine issues related to illegal infiltration and unnatural demographic changes in the country, calling it a serious challenge to national security and social stability.
Sharing the information on social media platform X, Shah said that demographic imbalance caused by illegal immigration and other unnatural factors poses a major threat to the present and future of the nation. He noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had first announced the formation of the “High-Level Committee on Demographic Change” during his Independence Day address on August 15, 2025.
The committee will be headed by retired Justice Prakash Prabhakar Naolekar and will study patterns of abnormal population shifts among various religious and social communities across India. According to Shah, the panel has been tasked with preparing a comprehensive and time-bound roadmap to address the issue.
Apart from Justice Naolekar, the committee will include Census Commissioner, retired IAS officer Durga Shankar Mishra, retired IPS officer Balaji Srivastava, and economist Shamika Ravi as members. Joint Secretary (Foreigners-I) in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Sumant Singh, will serve as the Member Secretary of the committee.
The Home Minister stressed that demographic change is not merely a population issue but one deeply linked to national sovereignty, internal security, law and order, and the preservation of tribal and social structures. He added that the committee will conduct a detailed nationwide assessment of demographic changes resulting from illegal immigration and other unnatural causes.
The announcement comes amid heightened political debate over infiltration and demographic imbalance, particularly in states bordering neighbouring countries. The issue had emerged as a key political flashpoint during the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly elections, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) strongly criticised the previous Trinamool Congress government led by Mamata Banerjee over alleged inaction on illegal immigration. The BJP later secured an absolute majority in the state elections.
