The Assam government has recently tabled in the assembly the reports concerning the Nellie massacre and the Assam Agitation, events that represent a dark chapter in the state's history. These reports, particularly those from the Tewary Commission and the Mehta Commission, have remained largely unexamined for decades. The tabling of these reports marks a move towards transparency, although the timing has sparked political debate.
The Nellie massacre, which occurred in February 1983, stands as one of the most devastating incidents of mass violence in post-independence India. During a mere six hours, over 2,000 people, primarily Bengali-speaking Muslims, were brutally killed across 14 villages in the Nagaon district (now Morigaon). Unofficial estimates place the death toll even higher, around 3,000. The massacre was not a spontaneous riot but a coordinated attack fueled by anger over the 1983 elections, where many Bengali-speaking Muslims, viewed by some as illegal immigrants, were permitted to vote amid ongoing unrest. The violence left nearly three lakh people homeless, marking one of the darkest chapters in the state's history.
The Assam Agitation, lasting from 1979 to 1985, was characterized by widespread anxieties that unchecked immigration threatened Assamese identity and land rights. This period of ethnic tension and political resentment triggered numerous attacks, with mobs largely composed of Assamese and tribal groups targeting Muslim-majority villages. The agitation was spearheaded by the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) and the All Assam Gana Sangram Parishad (AAGSP).
In the aftermath of the Nellie massacre and other instances of violence, the government established the Tewary Commission to investigate the disturbances. Led by IAS officer Tribhuvan Prasad Tewary, the commission submitted its report in May 1984 to the then-Congress government. Later, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP)-led government tabled the report in the Assembly in 1987. In 1984, the Assam Freedom Fighters' Association established the Mehta Commission as a non-official judicial inquiry. Headed by retired Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court, Justice T.U. Mehta, the commission aimed to provide an alternative perspective, gathering testimonies from agitators, citizens and victims of violence.
The two reports diverge on several key points. The Tewary Commission primarily blames the AASU and AGSP for the election-related violence, citing planned arson and destruction. It stated that the violence was not spontaneous but the result of cumulative administrative neglect, demographic tensions, land disputes, and political polarisation surrounding the 1983 Assembly elections. The Mehta Commission, however, suggests that attacks by migrant Muslims on Assamese people catalyzed the violence. It also points out that the 1983 elections, conducted without updating electoral rolls, directly triggered large-scale violence, including the Nellie massacre. The Tewary Commission, however, stated that the decision to hold elections cannot be blamed for the outbreak of violence. The Mehta report stated that the situation was not conducive to holding elections, and the state and central governments were fully aware of it, but the party in power at the Centre wanted the polls to grab power.
The current Assam government's decision to table these long-suppressed reports has ignited political debate. Opposition leaders have questioned the timing, suggesting political motives ahead of upcoming elections. Some worry that selectively using the reports' findings, particularly regarding illegal migration, could inflame tensions. Others maintain that making the reports public is a necessary step towards transparency and confronting Assam's troubled past.
Despite the different viewpoints and analyses, both reports highlight demographic anxieties and administrative failures as significant factors leading to the violence. The Mehta report emphasized the "foreigners problem". The Tewary report noted the fear of the Assamese of being overwhelmed by numbers, land problems, the deteriorating land-man ratio, and occupation of land by migrants.
