Did Muslims Claim 75 Million Indians?

Fact-Checking Hindutva’s Biggest Allegation Against Islamic Rule in India

In 1973, K. S. Lal published his seminal monograph, Growth of Muslim Population in Medieval India (1000–1800), presenting a controversial demographic analysis that argued for a significant population decline in India during the medieval period. Lal estimated that India’s population decreased from 200 million in 1000 AD to 125 million in 1500 AD, attributing this substantial reduction of 75 million to the impact of Islamic invasions. This claim prompted critical examination, with prominent historians and ideologues challenging the magnitude of the proposed population loss, suggesting the total population figure was unrealistic. Counterpoints ranged from dismissal of decline to dismissal of scale.

Goes without saying, since the attribution is made to political Islam, the subject is inherently polarizing. Lal himself has been firmly placed among the likes of R. C. Majumdar and Sita Ram Goel as a Rightwing ideologue and even history revisionist. Having said that, the apparition of his bodacious claim continues to haunt ideological and political discourses in the country to this day, more than two decades after his passing. The objective of this article is to establish the veracity, or otherwise, of Lal’s claim purely in the light of historical facts at our disposal. As we always do, we’ll scrutinize arguments from both sides of the aisle for a comprehensive, well-rounded conclusion.