Historic Move: Assam Government to Table Decades-Old Violence Reports
In a significant development, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has announced that the state government will table multiple reports concerning the violent events of 1983, including the devastating Nellie massacre, during the upcoming Assembly session. This marks the first time these long-withheld documents will be presented before the legislative body, potentially shedding new light on one of the darkest chapters in Assam's history.
Dual Reports: Official and Unofficial Perspectives
The Assam government plans to present two separate reports - the official Tribhuvan Prasad Tewary Commission report that was submitted in May 1984 but never made public, and the findings of an unofficial commission headed by retired judge T U Mehta. The Mehta Commission was established by participants of the Assam Agitation, primarily the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) and All Assam Gana Sangram Parishad (AAGSP), who felt their perspectives were excluded from the official inquiry.
The Assembly is scheduled to convene on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, and both reports are expected to be tabled the same day. Chief Minister Sarma emphasized that this unprecedented move to include a private commission's report aims to provide a comprehensive historical record. "So that, in Assam's history, in that chapter, people are able to get all kinds of views," Sarma stated following a Cabinet meeting on Sunday.
The Nellie Massacre: Unhealed Wounds
The Tewary Commission was specifically constituted to investigate the circumstances leading to violence in Assam between January and April 1983, with particular focus on the Nellie massacre. The official death toll in Nellie stands at 1,800 people, predominantly Bengali-speaking Muslims, though unofficial estimates suggest the actual number could be as high as 3,000. Shockingly, no one was ever arrested or prosecuted for the massacre.
The violence occurred during Assembly elections conducted under President's Rule, amid the peak of the Assam Agitation movement that began in 1979. The agitation's primary demand centered on the detection and deportation of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. The AASU and AAGSP, as main leaders of the movement, had called for a boycott of the 1983 elections.
Contrasting Perspectives and Political Implications
The Tewary Commission report, according to available information, holds the AASU and AAGSP responsible for the agitation and its violent consequences. The report states that "with a view to preventing the holding of elections, arson, riots, destruction of public properties... were organised in a pre-planned and extensive scale." It further notes that "the whole situation got out of their control and the violence resulted in enormous loss of life and property."
In contrast, AASU advisor Samujjal Bhattacharya defended their position, stating that "the 1983 Assembly elections were imposed on the people of Assam, and the situation was the result of this action against the will of the people." This fundamental disagreement in perspective prompted the creation of the unofficial Mehta Commission in January 1984.
The timing of tabling these reports, just months ahead of Assam elections, has drawn political attention. With the Congress party in power at both central and state levels during the 1983 violence, observers note that the findings could impact the party's standing, particularly among Muslim voters. However, CM Sarma has dismissed such speculation, terming the exercise "academic" rather than political.
"The Congress is thinking that there are some provocative things there, that there will be some political advantage for the BJP. There is not a word there that will be of political advantage for the BJP," Sarma asserted. He emphasized that the reports would help the new generation understand "why the Assam Agitation happened" and the commission's recommendations for constitutional protections for the state.
The Chief Minister had previously highlighted that the Tewary report significantly documents the "demographic change" and related tensions during that period, providing crucial historical context for understanding the roots of the Assam Agitation movement.
