Under attack over its methodology that reflected in 'high growth' figures of Muslim population, the Census Commission on Thursday excluded the data of Jammu and Kashmir and Assam in the 2001 Census figures to show that the Muslim growth rate has actually declined over 1991 figures.

In a damage-control exercise after Monday's publication of the census figures on the basis of 'First Report on Religion' that showed a 1.5 per cent increase in the Muslim population's growth rate from 34.5 per cent in 1991, the Commission released two sets of figures classifying them as 'unadjusted' and 'adjusted'.

'Adjusted' figures released show the growth rate of Muslims at 29.3 per cent as against 32.9 per cent in the 1991 Census and not 36 per cent as brought out earlier.

Monday's 'unadjusted' figures showed that the Muslim community was growing at a rate of 36 per cent against 34.5 per cent in 1991.

Denying that the revision of data was done 'under pressure', Census Commissioner J K Banthia said there were several ways to interpret data and 'the simplest is not to make any interpolation'.

Since no census was conducted in Assam in 1981 and in Jammu and Kashmir in 1991, the Commission had deleted entire data for these two states from all the census figures conducted since 1961, he said.

Under the 'adjusted' data, Hindus recorded a decline of 2.8 per cent in growth rate from 22.8 in 1991 to 20 in 2001 and Sikhs' growth rate also declined by 8.6 from 25.5 in 1991 to 16.9 in 2001.