has an area of 175.26 km2. It has 1 panchayat samity, 6 gram panchayats, 96 gram sansads (village councils), 71 mouzas and 56 inhabited villages. Ranitala police station serves this block. Headquarters of this CD block is at Nasipur. Gram panchayats in Bhagawangola II block/ panchayat samiti are: Akheriganj, Amdahara, Baligram, Karibona, Nashipore and Saralpore. Demographics Population According to the 2011 Census of India, Bhagawangola II CD block had a total population of 158,024, all of which were rural. There were 80,699 (51%) males and 77,325 (49%) females. Population in the age range 0-6 years totalled 23,473. Scheduled Castes numbered 5,218 (3.30%) and Scheduled Tribes numbered 45 (0.03%). As per 2001 census, Bhagawangola II block has a total population of 129,907, out of which 66,813 were males and 63,094 were females. Bhagawangola II block registered a population growth of 17.83 per cent during the 1991-2001 decade. Decadal growth for the district was 23.70 per cent. Decadal growth in West Bengal was 17.84 per cent. Decadal Population Growth Rate (%) Sources: The decadal growth of population in Bhagawangola II CD block in 2001-2011 was 21.65%. The decadal growth rate of population in Murshidabad district was as follows: 33.5% in 1951-61, 28.6% in 1961-71, 25.5% in 1971-81, 28.2% in 1981-91, 23.8% in 1991-2001 and 21.1% in 2001-11. The decadal growth rate for West Bengal in 2001-11 was 13.93%. The decadal growth rate of population in neighbouring Rajshahi District, across the Ganges, in Bangladesh, was 13.48% for the decade 2001-2011, down from 21.19% in the decade 1991-2001. There are reports of Bangladeshi infiltrators entering Murshidabad district. Villages Large villages in Bhagwangola II CD block were (2011 population figures in brackets): Amdahara Haziganj (4,281), Nasipur (25,644), Khamar Diar (8,385), Sankarpur (4,346), Khagjana (6,232), Kolan Radhakantapur (6,435), Bhandara (5,747), Benipur (5,167), Pukhuria (5,904) and Dakshin Sahar (7,849). Literacy As per the 2011 census, the total number of literate persons in Bhagawangola II CD block was 84,519 (62.82% of the population over 6 years) out of which males numbered 43,035 (62.58% of the male population over 6 years) and females numbered 41,484 (63.06% of the female population over 6 years). The gender disparity (the difference between female and male literacy rates) was -0.49%. See also – List of West Bengal districts ranked by literacy rate Language and religion In the 2011 census, Muslims numbered 141,317 and formed 89.43% of the population in Bhagawangola II CD block.