Assam Govt to Table 1983 Nellie Massacre Report; Survivors Fear Fresh Tensions

The horrific Nellie massacre of 1983, one of the darkest and most contentious chapters in Assam’s history, has once again returned to the centre of attention after the Assam Cabinet approved Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s decision to table the long-suppressed Tiwari Commission Report in the State Legislative Assembly.

The 547-page report, which investigated the brutal killings, had remained buried for over four decades, with no government, past or present, making it public until now.

The massacre took place on 18 February 1983 at Nellie in the then undivided Nagaon district, now under Morigaon. In one of the most horrific incidents of targeted ethnic violence in independent India, over 2,000 people, mostly women and children across 14 villages, were mercilessly killed in broad daylight. Many others were left disabled or critically injured. The violence erupted during the height of the Assam Agitation and was linked to rising anger against unchecked illegal immigration and demographic changes, which had triggered resentment among indigenous communities.

Following the massacre, the then government constituted the Tiwari Commission to investigate the incident and identify those responsible. However, despite repeated demands over the years from the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), civil society bodies and political organisations, the report was never made public. Successive governments, both at the state and central level, refrained from tabling it, leading to allegations of political cover-up and vote bank appeasement.

After 42 long years, the present Assam government has finally decided to place the report before the Assembly. While a section of people have welcomed the move and thanked the Chief Minister for what they call a “bold step to uncover historical truth,” survivors and families of the victims have expressed mixed reactions. Many of them question what real benefit will come from releasing the report after so many decades.

Survivors of the violence fear that the publication of the report may reopen old wounds and could even rekindle communal tensions in the region. Locals in Nellie and neighbouring villages say that people from different communities now live together peacefully, having moved past the horrors of 1983. They worry that reviving the issue could disturb the social harmony that has been painstakingly rebuilt over the years.

Instead of political posturing around the report, survivors have urged the government to instead focus on rehabilitation and justice. They demand long-overdue government assistance, compensation for affected families, and official recognition of the massacre as a humanitarian tragedy that still awaits closure.

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