Guwahati/IBNS, Dec. 23 -- Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday raised concerns over demographic changes in the state, claiming that nearly 40 per cent of its residents are now of Bangladeshi origin, media reports said.

The Chief Minister claimed that the population share of Hindus and Muslims in Assam would become equal by the 2027 census, adding that the demographic shift has made governance in the northeastern state increasingly difficult.

Sarma made the remarks amid continuing unrest in Bangladesh following the killing of youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi, a prominent figure in last year's student uprising and a candidate in the upcoming elections.

Hadi was shot in Dhaka on December 12 and later died at a hospital in Sing...