Is Assam CM Lying? Tewary Commission Report Was Tabled in Assembly In 1987

As CM Himanta Biswa Sarma declared, is it a reality that the Tewary Commission Report will be tabled in the Assembly for the first time? Amidst the loud clamour of demanding justice for Zubeen Garg from across the spectrum of society, CM Sarma came out declaring that the Tewary Commission report is to be tabled during the upcoming assembly session, where he proudly announced that it will be the first time the report will come to the public domain.

However, reports and records suggest a different scenario. Assembly records reportedly show that the report was in fact, tabled on March 31, 1987, by then Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta during a budget session.

As of today, a fresh controversy has erupted in Assam’s political landscape after Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced plans to table the Tewary Commission Report on the 1983 Nellie massacre in the upcoming winter session of the Assam Legislative Assembly.

Opposition leaders and political observers have accused the Chief Minister of “distorting historical facts” and “violating legislative procedure” to divert public sentiment amid the emotional outpouring across the state following the mysterious death of cultural icon Zubeen Garg.

The controversy stems from Sarma’s recent public claim that former Chief Ministers Hiteswar Saikia and Prafulla Kumar Mahanta had “lacked the courage” to table the Tewary Commission Report in the Assembly. 

According to the Assembly proceedings of that day, the report was listed under item number four in the day’s business schedule. Following its tabling, independent MLA Binai Khungur Basumatary had requested copies of the report for distribution among legislators. In response, CM Mahanta had informed the House that the report was in the printing stage and would be distributed soon.

Former MLA Hemen Das has also confirmed that the Tewary Commission Report had been officially presented in the Assembly during Mahanta’s tenure, contradicting the current Chief Minister’s recent statement.

Political Motive Alleged Behind Re-tabling Decision

The Sarma-led government recently decided in a Cabinet meeting to re-table the same 42-year-old report on November 25, drawing sharp criticism from opposition leaders who allege that the move violates Assembly norms. Critics argue that the decision is part of a deliberate attempt to revive communal polarization ahead of the 2026 state elections.

Political analysts say the timing appears calculated to shift focus away from the state-wide mourning and public anger surrounding Zubeen Garg’s death, which has seen people across communities unite in grief. The Chief Minister has in recent days reignited communal rhetoric by referring to “Miya Muslims” as “fake fans of Zubeen,” while also warning of renewed eviction drives against them.

Background: The Nellie Massacre and the Tiwari Commission

The Nellie massacre remains one of the darkest chapters in Assam’s modern history. On February 18, 1983, during the height of the anti-foreigners agitation led by the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), mobs launched violent attacks on 14 villages in and around Nellie in Morigaon district, killing an estimated 3,000 people as per official records, and over 10,000 as per independent accounts.

The victims, mostly from the Miya Muslim community, had been branded as “illegal migrants” from Bangladesh. Despite prior intelligence warnings of possible violence, law enforcement agencies reportedly failed to prevent the carnage, which lasted for nearly six hours.

Following the massacre, the then Congress government under Chief Minister Hiteswar Saikia set up the Tiwari Commission headed by retired IAS officer T.P. Tiwari to investigate the incident. The commission submitted its report in May 1984. However, citing the “sensitive nature” of its contents and fears of communal unrest, the Saikia government decided against tabling the report in the Assembly at that time.

When the AGP government led by Prafulla Kumar Mahanta came to power, the report was finally tabled on March 31, 1987.

Sources familiar with the document say the report primarily blamed the police and local administration for gross negligence, holding them responsible for the scale of the tragedy.

The report also noted that 688 cases were registered in connection with the massacre, with charge sheets filed in 299 cases. However, the Mahanta government later withdrew all cases, citing the need for reconciliation. As a result, not a single perpetrator was tried or punished.

Survivors of the massacre reportedly received only ₹5,000 as ex-gratia relief and a few tin sheets as housing material. No comprehensive compensation or rehabilitation was ever provided to the affected families.

Concerns Over Communal Polarisation

Critics have accused the current government of attempting to weaponize the Tewary Commission Report for political gain. Several political observers argue that reviving a 42-year-old report that had already been placed before the Assembly amounts to a procedural violation and serves no legislative purpose other than to stoke communal divisions.

They view the move as an attempt to rekindle religious polarization at a time when the state is united in mourning for Zubeen Garg, whose death has evoked rare emotional solidarity across communities.

According to sources, the upcoming tabling of the report could be used to reignite debates around the Nellie massacre, one of the most sensitive and painful events in Assam’s collective memory, and potentially divert attention from present-day governance issues and public sentiment.

Notably, the key findings and recommendations of the Tewary Commission are already recorded in former minister Nilamani Sen Deka’s book “ASOMAR PRABAJAN SAMASYA ARU BIDESHI BAHISKAR ANDOLAN” (The Problem of Migration in Assam and the Anti-Foreigner Movement).

Unresolved Questions Remain

More than four decades after the massacre, justice remains elusive. No trials have been conducted, no officials held accountable, and no substantial compensation given to the survivors.

As the government moves to reintroduce the report in the Assembly, political circles are abuzz with questions:
Is this about historical justice — or political optics?

For the families of Nellie’s victims, however, the haunting truth remains unchanged — no one was ever punished.

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