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{{About|the district|its eponymous headquarters|Hailakandi}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Hailakandi district
| settlement_type = [[List of districts of Assam|District]] of [[Assam]]
| native_name =
| nickname =
| image_skyline =
| image_size =
| image_caption =
| image_flag =
| image_seal =
| image_map = India Assam Hailakandi district map.svg
| map_caption = District location in Assam
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{flag|India}}
| subdivision_type1 = [[States of India|State]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[Assam]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[Divisions of Assam|Division]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Barak Valley]]
| established_title = District created
| established_date = 1 October 1989
| founder =
| seat_type = Headquarters
| seat = [[Hailakandi]]
| government_footnotes =
| leader_party =
| leader_title = [[Lok Sabha|Lok Sabha constituencies]]
| leader_name = [[Karimganj (Lok Sabha constituency)|Karimganj]] (shared with Karimganj district)
| leader_title1 = [[Vidhan Sabha|Vidhan Sabha constituencies]]
| leader_name1 = [[Hailakandi (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Hailakandi]], [[Katlicherra (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Katlicherra]], [[Algapur (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Algapur]]
| leader_title2 =
| leader_name2 =
| unit_pref = Metric
| area_footnotes =
| area_total_km2 = 1327
| elevation_footnotes =
| elevation_m = 21
| population_total = 659,296
| population_as_of = 2011
| population_rank =
| population_density_km2 = 497
| population_demonym = Hailakandian, Hailakandiya
| official language = [[Bengali]]
| blank1_name_sec2 = Official language
| blank1_info_sec2 = [[Bengali language|Bengali]]
| population_footnotes = <ref name="districtcensus">{{cite web|year=2011|title=District census 2011 - Hailakandi|url=https://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/dchb/DCHB_A/18/1819_PART_A_DCHB_HAILAKANDI.pdf|url-status=live|publisher=Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India}}</ref>
| demographics_type1 =
| demographics1_title1 =
| timezone1 = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]
| utc_offset1 = +5:30
| postal_code_type = [[Postal Index Number|PIN]]
| postal_code = 78815X
| area_code_type = Telephone code
| area_code = 91 – (0) 3844
| registration_plate = AS-24
| website = {{URL|hailakandi.nic.in}}
| iso_code = [[ISO 3166-2:IN|IN-AS]]
| footnotes =
| official_name = Hailakandi
}}

'''Hailakandi''' is one of the 33 districts of [[Assam]] state in [[Northeast India|north-eastern]] [[India]]. It makes up the [[Barak Valley]] alongside [[Cachar district|Cachar]] and [[Karimganj district|Karimganj]]. It was constituted as a civil subdivision on 1 June 1869. Subsequently, it was upgraded to a district in 1989, when it was split from [[Cachar district]].<ref name='Statoids'>{{cite web | url = http://www.statoids.com/yin.html | title = Districts of India | access-date = 11 October 2011 | last = Law | first = Gwillim | date = 25 September 2011 | work = Statoids}}</ref>

==History==
{{historical populations|11=1901|12=1,12,897|13=1911|14=1,31,060|15=1921|16=1,41,012|17=1931|18=1,50,992|19=1941|20=1,66,536|21=1951|22=1,95,650|23=1961|24=2,48,927|25=1971|26=3,07,695|27=1991|28=4,49,048|29=2001|30=5,42,872|31=2011|32=6,59,296|percentages=pagr|footnote=source:<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/PCA/A2_Data_Table.html|title=Census of India Website : Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India|website=www.censusindia.gov.in|access-date=31 December 2019}}</ref>|align=right}}It was constituted as a civil subdivision on 1 June 1869. Subsequently, it was upgraded to a district in 1989. According to some scholars, the name "Hailakandi" has been derived from the Sylheti word "Hailakundi". The later history of Hailakandi is intricately linked to [[Abdul Matlib Mazumdar]] (1890–1980), Late Nagendranath Choudhury, Late (Capt.) Manmatha Choudhury, Late (Capt.) Subodh Kumar Dutta and Late Sunil Chakravorty who lead the freedom movement in the erstwhile Sub-division. Nagendranath Choudhury was a prominent Congress-leader; [[Jawaharlal Nehru|Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru]] called on him in his house during his visit to Hailakandi in 1939. His brother Manmatha Choudhury was a captain in the [[Indian National Army|Azad Hind Fauj]] formed by [[Subhash Chandra Bose]]. In 1946, when India was still under British rule, Mr. Abdul Matlib Majumder became an [[Member of the Legislative Assembly (India)|MLA]] and also Cabinet Minister of Assam.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.assamassembly.gov.in/mla-1946-52.html|title=Assam Legislative Assembly - MLA 1946-1952|website=www.assamassembly.gov.in|access-date=31 December 2019}}</ref> He was one of the prominent Muslim leaders of eastern India to support [[Hindu-Muslim unity]], opposing the [[partition of India]] on communal lines. Mazumdar along with [[Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed]] (who later became the 5th [[President of India]]) became the most prominent Muslim opponents of the demand for a separate Muslim state of [[Pakistan]], especially in the eastern part of the country. Mazumdar took Master of Arts Degree in [[English literature]] from [[Dhaka University]] in 1921 and B.L. from [[Kolkata|Calcutta]] in 1924. He started legal practice at Hailakandi Bar in 1925. He rose to prominence as a [[lawyer]] serving the people of Hailakandi. The then government offered him the post of a [[Magistrate]], which he refused.<ref>[http://anwaruddinchoudhury.hpage.com Abdul Matlib Mazumdar- a centenary tribute] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811141408/http://anwaruddinchoudhury.hpage.com/ |date=11 August 2011 }} Choudhury, A. (1990). The Assam Tribune, 1 June, Guwahati, India.</ref> He joined the [[Indian National Congress]] in 1925. He founded the Hailakandi Congress Committee in 1937 and became its first President. [[Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose]] and [[Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru]] visited Hailakandi in 1939 and 1945 respectively at the invitation of Mazumdar to strengthen the freedom movement as well as the Congress party in southern Assam. It was Netaji who initiated establishment of contact between Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and Matlib Mazumdar for gearing up nationalist Muslims against a growing [[All-India Muslim League|Muslim League]] in the region.<ref>Bhattacharyya, N. (1998). Hailakandite Netaji. Hailakandi – smaranika (in Bengali). (Souvenir of the 50th year of independence). District Administration, Hailakandi, India.</ref> Mazumdar became the first Chairman of Hailakandi township in 1939 and in 1945 he became the first Indian Chairman of the Hailakandi Local Board, a post always held by the European [[tea]] planters.<ref name="Barua, D. C. 1990 pp. 8">Barua, D. C. (1990). Moulvi Matlib Mazumdar- as I knew him. Abdul Matlib Mazumdar – birth centenary tributes, pp. 8–9.</ref>

The Muslim League proved its might in the Muslim-dominated areas of India in 1937 elections. To counter the rising popularity of Muslim League, he successfully organised the [[Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind]] movement in Assam. Jamiat was an ally of the Congress having a mass following among the Indian nationalist Muslims. In the very crucial 1946 General Elections just on the eve of [[Indian independence movement|India's independence]], he wrested the Muslim majority Hailakandi seat from the hold of Muslim League. That victory virtually sealed the hopes and aspirations of the Muslim League to include southern Assam in Pakistan. It may be mentioned here that in that election, the bulk of the Muslim nominees of the Indian National Congress including Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed (5th President of India in later years) had lost to their Muslim League rivals miserably.

Assam's Surma Valley (now partly in [[Bangladesh]]) had Muslim-majority population. On the eve of partition, hectic activities intensified by the Muslim League as well Congress with the former having an edge. A [[referendum]] had been proposed for [[Sylhet District]] (now in Bangladesh). Mazumdar along with Basanta Kumar Das (then Home Minister of Assam) travelled throughout the valley organising the Congress and addressing meetings educating the masses about the outcome of partition on the basis of religion. On 20 February 1947, Moulvi Mazumdar inaugurated a convention – Assam Nationalist Muslim's Convention at [[Silchar]]. There after another big meeting was held at Silchar on 8 June 1947.<ref>Bhattacharjee, J. B. (1977). Cachar under British Rule in North East India. Radiant Publishers, New Delhi.</ref> Both the meetings, which were attended by a large section of Muslims paid dividend. He was also among the few who were instrumental in retaining the [[Barak Valley]] region of Assam with India.<ref name="Barua, D. C. 1990 pp. 8"/><ref>Purkayashta, M. (1990). Tyagi jananeta Abdul Matlib Mazumdar. The Prantiya Samachar (in Bengali). Silchar, India.</ref> Mazumdar was the leader of the delegation that pleaded before the Radcliffe Commission that ensured that a part of Sylhet (now in Bangladesh) remains with India despite being Muslim-majority (present [[Karimganj district]]).<ref>Roy, S. K. (1990). Jananeta Abdul Matlib Mazumdar (in Bengali). Abdul Matlib Mazumdar – birth centenary tributes, pp. 24–27.</ref>

Moulvi Mazumdar joined as a Cabinet Minister of Assam in 1946 with the portfolios of Local Self-Government, Agriculture and Veterinary. In 1947, India became free from [[British rule in India|British rule]], when Mazumdar again took charge of the same departments in [[Gopinath Bordoloi]]'s cabinet as the only Muslim minister (Moulana Tayyebulla was inducted in 1948) and also the lone member from the entire Barak valley region. The entire eastern India was swept by [[violence]] just after India's partition and independence on 15 August 1947, scores of Hindus fled the newly created [[East Pakistan]] (now Bangladesh) for India, and Muslims fled Assam for East Pakistan. A large number of people lost their lives owing to violence, which resurfaced with more ferocity in 1950. Mazumdar, the only Muslim in the cabinet, along with his cabinet and party colleagues took up responsibility for the safety of both Hindus and Muslims in Hailakandi, touring affected areas and arranging camps and rehabilitation for the [[refugee]]s, organizing supplies and security.

He continued as a Cabinet Minister in Bishnuram Medhi's cabinet till 1957.<ref>http://www.eci.nic.in/eci_main/statistical reports/SE.../StatRep_51_ASSAM.pdf{{dead link|date=October 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> His last election was in 1967 when at the age of 77, Mazumdar reached Assam Assembly victorious. He then became the Minister for Law, Social Welfare and Political Sufferers in [[Bimala Prasad Chaliha]]’s cabinet. As Law minister, he initiated the separation of executive and judiciary at the district level. During the [[War of Liberation of Bangladesh|Bangladesh’s war of liberation]] in 1970–71, he was in charge of relief-&-rehabilitation of the thousands of refugees who fled the then East Pakistan. He resigned from active [[politics]] in 1971. Other posts held by him during his long career are the Chairman, Assam Madrassa Board; Chairman, State Haj Committee and the Pro tem Speaker of the Assam Legislative Assembly (in 1967). He was instrumental in setting up the hajj house [haji musafir khana] at Guwahati. As Chairman of Madrassah Board, he initiated [[modernization]] of these theological schools and is also credited for the introduction of [[English language|English]] and [[science]] in the curriculum of [[madrassa]]s of Assam.<ref>Mazumdar, A. M. (1990). Abdul Matlib Mazumdar- remembrance by a son : down the momory lane. Abdul Matlib Mazumdar – birth centenary tributes, pp. 10–12.</ref> He was the key person to set up centres of higher education at Hailakandi.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://hailakandi.nic.in/edu-institute.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060305075229/http://hailakandi.nic.in/edu-institute.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 March 2006|title=1|date=5 March 2006|access-date=31 December 2019}}</ref>

Another prominent person from Hailakandi was Late Raj Mohan Nath, a noted Engineer, whose authored many books on different subjects apart from engineering. One of his books was a text-book for the students of civil engineering in the Bengal Engineering College, Shibpur (West Bengal). Today's "Assam-type house" is entirely his concept which gained vast popularity in the earthquake zones. One of the roads in Moscow has been named after him

[[Hailakandi Airfield]] is a former wartime [[United States Army Air Forces]] airfield in [[India]], used during the [[Burma Campaign 1944-1945]]. It is now abandoned. Hailakandi is a district of the Indian state of [[Assam]].

== Geography ==
Hailakandi district occupies an area of {{convert|1327|km2|sqmi}},<ref name='Reference Annual'>{{cite book | last1 = Srivastava, Dayawanti et al. (ed.) | title = India 2010: A Reference Annual | chapter = States and Union Territories: Assam: Government | edition = 54th | publisher = Additional Director General, Publications Division, [[Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India)]], [[Government of India]] | year = 2010 | location = New Delhi, India | pages = 1116 | isbn = 978-81-230-1617-7}}</ref> comparatively equivalent to [[Iran]]'s [[Qeshm Island]].<ref name='Islands'>{{cite web | url = http://islands.unep.ch/Tiarea.htm | title = Island Directory Tables: Islands by Land Area | access-date = 11 October 2011 | date = 18 February 1998 | publisher = [[United Nations Environment Program]] | quote = Qeshm 1,336
}}</ref> Out of this, more than 50% is reserve forest. There are total of two reserve forests in Hailakandi district viz. Inner line reserve forest and Katakhal reserve forest. The district has got inter-state border with [[Mizoram]] on its south having a length of 76 km besides inter district border on other sides with Karimganj district and Cachar district. As per '''2001''' census, it has a population of 542978. It comprises two notified towns viz. [[Hailakandi]] (district headquarters) and [[Lala, Assam|Lala]] and one industrial town ship viz. Panchgram a Municipal Board governs Hailakandi town & a town Committee governs Lala. It has five development blocks viz. Algapur, Hailakandi, Lala, Katlicherra & South Hailakandi development Block. There is a Mahkuma Parishad named Hailakandi Mahkuma Parishad covering these 5 Development Blocks. There are total of 62 Nos. of Gaon Panchayat under these five blocks. The district is divided into four revenue circles comprising a total of 393 villages (including 27 forest villages). Nearly half the district consists of forests. Out of the remaining half, 33.2% is under cultivation. Rice is the main crop. District has got 17 tea gardens. The District has 4 Police stations, 2 Police out post, 2 Colleges, 43 H/E, H/School, 247 ME/ MV Schools and 937 LP schools.

The forests of Hailakandi district were once rich in wildlife but now vanishing due to human onslaught. rare species found are Hoolock gibbon, Phayre's leaf monkey, Pig-tailed macaque, White-winged Wood Duck, Purple Wood Pigeon, etc., have been recorded.<ref>Choudhury, A.U. (1986). Discovery of Pharye's leaf monkey in Assam. ''The Sentinel'' 31 August.</ref><ref>Choudhury, A.U. (1987). Notes on the distribution and conservation of Phayre’s leaf monkey and hoolock gibbon in India. ''Tigerpaper'' 14(2): 2–6.</ref> The southern part was also recommended as 'Dhaleswari' wildlife sanctuary.<ref>Choudhury, A.U. (1983). Plea for a new wildlife refuge in eastern India. ''Tigerpaper'' 10(4):12–15.</ref><ref>Choudhury, A.U. (1983). Plea for a new wildlife sanctuary in Assam. ''WWF – India Newsletter'' 4(4):15.</ref>

==Economy==
In 2006, the Indian government named Hailakandi as one of the country's 250 [[Poverty in India|most backward districts]] (out of a total of [[Districts of India|640]]).<ref name=brgf/> It is one of the eleven districts in Assam currently receiving funds from the [[Backward Regions Grant Fund|Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF)]].<ref name=brgf>{{cite web|author=Ministry of Panchayati Raj|date=8 September 2009|title=A Note on the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme|publisher=National Institute of Rural Development|url=http://www.nird.org.in/brgf/doc/brgf_BackgroundNote.pdf|access-date=27 September 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120405033402/http://www.nird.org.in/brgf/doc/brgf_BackgroundNote.pdf|archive-date=5 April 2012}}</ref>

==Divisions==
There are three [[Assam Legislative Assembly]] constituencies in this district: [[Hailakandi]], [[Katlicherra (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Katlicherra]], and [[Algapur]].<ref name="ceo1">{{cite web|title=List of Assembly Constituencies showing their Revenue & Election District wise break – up|url=http://ceoassam.nic.in/Gen_Informations/2.1%20-%20DEOs%20wise%20ACs%20breakup.pdf|publisher=Chief Electoral Officer, Assam website|access-date=26 September 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322074811/http://ceoassam.nic.in/Gen_Informations/2.1%20-%20DEOs%20wise%20ACs%20breakup.pdf|archive-date=22 March 2012}}</ref> The whole district comes under the [[Karimganj (Lok Sabha constituency)|Karimganj Lok Sabha constituency]].<ref name="ceo2">{{cite web|title=List of Assembly Constituencies showing their Parliamentary Constituencies wise break – up|url=http://ceoassam.nic.in/Gen_Informations/2.2%20-%20PC-wise%20LAC%20breakup.pdf|publisher=Chief Electoral Officer, Assam website|access-date=26 September 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322074903/http://ceoassam.nic.in/Gen_Informations/2.2%20-%20PC-wise%20LAC%20breakup.pdf|archive-date=22 March 2012}}</ref>

== Demographics ==
According to the [[2011 census of India|2011 census]], Hailakandi district has a [[Demographics of India|population]] of 659,296,<ref name="districtcensus"/> roughly equal to the nation of [[Montenegro]]<ref name="cia">{{cite web | author = US Directorate of Intelligence | title = Country Comparison:Population | url = https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2119rank.html | access-date = 1 October 2011 | quote = Montenegro 661,807 July 2011 est. }}</ref> or the US state of [[North Dakota]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/apportionment-pop-text.php|title=2010 Resident Population Data|publisher=U. S. Census Bureau|access-date=30 September 2011| quote = North Dakota 672,591 }}</ref> Population in the age group of 0–6 years was 111,278. The district has a population density of {{convert| 497 |PD/sqkm|PD/sqmi}}. Hailakandi has a [[sex ratio]] of 946 [[Women in India|females]] for every 1000 males. The [[Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes]] had a population of 70,659 and 691 respectively. There were 407,366 literates as of 2011, giving it a Crude [[Literacy in India|literacy rate]] of 61.8% and an Effective literacy (7+ population) of 74.3%. There were 143350 households as of 2011.<ref name="districtcensus"/>

===Religion===
{{bar box
|title=Religion in Hailakandi (2011)<ref name="religious"/>
|titlebar=#Fcd116
|left1=Religion
|right1=Percent
|float=right
|bars=
{{bar percent|[[Islam]]|#008000|60.31}}
{{bar percent|[[Hinduism]]|darkorange|38.10}}
{{bar percent|[[Christianity]]|dodgerblue|1.29}}
{{bar percent|Others|#808080|0.3}}
}}
Religious demographics are as follows:<ref name="religious">{{cite web|title=Religious demography of Assam Census 2011|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01/DDW18C-01%20MDDS.XLS|access-date=26 February 2018}}</ref>
* Muslims ([[File:Star and Crescent.svg|18px]]) - 397,653
* Hindus ([[File:Om.svg|15px]]) - 251,194
* Christians ([[File:ChristianitySymbol.svg|17px]]) - 8,480.

On religious lines, approximately 60.31% of the population is Muslim, 38.10% are Hindu and 1.29% are Christian.<ref name="Religion">{{cite web |title=C-1 Population By Religious Community - hailakandi district |url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01/DDW18C-01%20MDDS.XLS |website=Census India |access-date=9 December 2019}}</ref> [[Bengalis]] formed the majority of the district population, but the district is also home to a large number of different communities. There are, [[Meitei people|Meitei]], [[Bishnupriya]], [[Kuki peoples|Kuki]], [[Reang]], [[Chakma people|Chakma]] and immigrant populations from erstwhile East Pakistan.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ahmed |first1=Sahabuddin |title=Political Phenomena in Barak-Surma Valley during Medieval Period |url=https://www.thecho.in/files/sahab-uddin-ahmed.pdf |website=thecho.in |access-date=6 January 2021}}</ref>

===Languages===
{{Pie chart
|thumb = right
|caption = Languages in Hailakandi district (2011)<ref name="censuslang">{{cite web |title=C-16 Population By Mother Tongue - Hailakandi |url=https://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-16/DDW-C16-STMT-MDDS-1800.XLSX |website=censusindia.gov.in |access-date=16 August 2020}}</ref>
|label1 = [[Bengali language|Bengali]] |value1 = 84.64 |color1 = salmon
|label2 = [[Hindi]] |value2 = 7.74 |color2 = orange
|label3 = [[Kokborok|Tripuri]] |value3 = 2.11 |color3 = palegreen
|label4 = [[Meitei language|Manipuri]] |value4 = 1.92 |color4 = green
|label5 = [[Bhojpuri language|Bhojpuri]] |value5 = 1.65 |color5 = peachpuff
|label6 = Others |value6 = 1.94 |color6 = grey
}}
As per the 2011 census, the majority of the population speaks [[Bengali language|Bengali]] (84.64%), followed by [[Hindi]] (7.74%), [[Tripuri language|Tripuri]] (2.11%), [[Meitei language|Manipuri]] (1.92%) and [[Bhojpuri language|Bhojpuri]] (1.65%).<ref name="censuslang" />
==Notable people==
* [[Abdul Matlib Mazumdar]], freedom fighter, cabinet minister in last ministry during British period and then after independence, in the first and subsequent ministries. Assam's first Agriculture, Veterinery, & Local self-government minister
* Hirendra Chandra Chakravarty, C.I.E, cabinet minister in Assam government pre independence period.
* Rai Bahadur Hara Kishore Chakravarty, retired as Extra Assistant Commissioner. Integral member of the Lushai expedition. Awarded the title of Rai Bahadur for his services renedered.

==See also==

*[[List of districts in India]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://hailakandi.nic.in/ District Administration]

{{Geographic location
|Centre = Hailakandi district
|North =
|Northeast = [[Cachar district]]
|East =
|Southeast = [[Kolasib district]], [[Mizoram]]
|South =
|Southwest = [[Mamit district]], [[Mizoram]]
|West = [[Karimganj district]]
|Northwest = ''[[Bangladesh]]''
}}

{{Assam}}
{{Minority Concentrated Districts in India}}
{{Authority control}}

{{Coord|24.6833|N|92.5667|E|type:adm3rd_source:itwiki|display=title}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hailakandi District}}
[[Category:Hailakandi district| ]]
[[Category:Districts of Assam]]
[[Category:Minority Concentrated Districts in India]]
[[Category:1869 establishments in India]]
[[Category:1989 establishments in Assam]]

Hailakandi district - Revision history

imported>Cassiopeia at 07:25, 5 September 2021