For over four decades, successive governments in Assam allegedly suppressed a report that warned of a looming land and identity crisis fueled by illegal immigration, allowing the issue to fester and contribute to events like the 1983 Nellie massacre. This report, compiled by the Tribhuvan Prasad Tewary Commission, was finally made public this week, 41 years after it was submitted to the then Congress government.
The Tewary Commission, formed in 1983 to investigate the violence during the anti-foreigner movement, made several recommendations to address illegal immigration, regulate land transfers, evict encroachers, define "Assamese" identity, and safeguard it. The commission's report was tabled in the assembly in 1987, but its contents remained undisclosed and were never implemented.
Contrary to narratives that framed the 1983 disturbances as communal clashes, the Tewary report suggests that such interpretations are superficial. The report emphasized that all sections of society suffered from the violence, irrespective of religious, ethnic, or linguistic background. Instead, the commission highlighted clashes of economic interests and, in many cases, land disputes as the underlying causes, with illegal occupation of land by immigrants being a major source of irritation for the Assamese people. The report explicitly states that "land has been the main attraction for illegal immigrants" and that fears of the indigenous population being overrun were not imaginary.
The commission cautioned against transferring immovable property to non-Assamese individuals and suggested imposing "reasonable restrictions" even on Indian citizens. It proposed using the National Register of Citizens, a minimum domicile period in Assam, or other reasonable conditions to define who qualifies as Assamese for this purpose. The report also distinguished between refugees fleeing persecution and migrants seeking land and economic opportunities.
As the current government undertakes eviction drives to clear encroached forests and public land, it's worth noting that the Tewary report had previously warned about the link between infiltrator detection and encroacher removal. The report highlighted that the ejectment of encroachment had been stopped in 1979.
The Assam government has recently taken steps to address the issue of illegal immigration, including directing the police to enumerate suspected illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, collect their biometrics, and record identification numbers. This action follows the detection of 54 illegal immigrants since January 2024. Furthermore, enhanced border security measures and community awareness programs are being implemented to curb illegal migration and ensure national security. As of February 2025, nearly 1.66 lakh immigrants have been identified as "illegal" according to Assam Accord norms, with just over 30,100 deported. In June 2025, Assam pushed back 330 "illegal immigrants" into Bangladesh.
