Declassified: 1983 Assam Violence Report Reveals Non-Communal Nature, Government Neglect
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The Assam government has finally made public the long-suppressed report of the Tewary Commission, which investigated the 1983 violence that left thousands dead and displaced. The report, submitted to the assembly in 1987 but never discussed, points to the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) and Asom Gana Sangram Parishad (AGSP) as the primary instigators of the violence. However, it notes that the disturbances were not driven by communal hatred, but rather a fear of being outnumbered by non-Assamese immigrants. The report, led by retired IAS officer Tribhuvan Prasad Tewary, concludes that the violence was the result of cumulative administrative neglect and political polarization surrounding the 1983 assembly elections. The AASU and AGSP had launched an 'anti-influx' agitation, which led to the violence after the government decided to proceed with the elections despite their boycott call. The Nellie Massacre, which claimed 2,072 lives on February 18, 1983, was the most infamous episode of the violence. Most of the victims were Bengali-speaking Muslims from Nellie and neighboring villages in Morigaon district. The report also highlights the destruction of property, with 22,436 private houses and 445 government buildings destroyed. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has defended the decision to make the report public, saying that hiding history is a crime. However, opposition leaders have questioned the timing, suggesting that it may be a ploy to reopen old wounds for political gain. The report's release has sparked a debate about the need to confront the state's troubled past and learn from its mistakes.
