Swahid Diwas: PM Modi Reaffirms Commitment to Protecting Assam’s Identity

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday paid homage to the martyrs of the Assam Movement on the occasion of Swahid Diwas, calling their sacrifices a defining chapter in India’s history.

He reaffirmed the Centre’s commitment to preserving Assam’s cultural identity and accelerating the state’s development.

আজি শ্বহীদ দিৱস উপলক্ষে অসম আন্দোলনত অংশগ্ৰহণ কৰা সকলোৰে শৌৰ্য্যক স্মৰণ কৰিছো। এই আন্দোলনে সদায় আমাৰ ইতিহাসত এক গুৰুত্বপূৰ্ণ স্থান অধিকাৰ কৰি থাকিব। আমি পুনৰ উল্লেখ কৰিব বিচাৰো যে, অসমৰ সংস্কৃতিক সবল কৰাৰ লগতে ৰাজ্যখনৰ সৰ্বাংগীন উন্নয়নৰ সপোন যিসকল আন্দোলনকাৰীয়ে দেখিছিল, সেই…

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 10, 2025

In a post on X, the Prime Minister said Swahid Diwas serves as a powerful reminder of the courage and determination shown by those who took part in the historic movement. He added that the government remains dedicated to fulfilling the aspirations of the agitators who fought to safeguard Assam’s identity and ensure its all-round progress.

Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal also joined the tributes, describing the Assam Movement as a “monumental struggle” to defend the state’s language, culture, demographic identity and very existence. He said the agitation united the Assamese people with a shared sense of responsibility for the future of their homeland.

Sonowal noted that 860 people lost their lives during the six-year-long movement, while many others faced persecution and suffered permanent injuries in their fight to protect the motherland. He termed Swahid Diwas a solemn moment of remembrance, adding that the agitation continues to embody courage, national consciousness and the unwavering resolve of the Assamese people.

Observed annually on December 10, Swahid Diwas commemorates those who laid down their lives during the Assam Movement—a mass civil disobedience campaign launched in 1979 by the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) and the All Assam Gana Sangram Parishad (AAGSP). The movement sought decisive action against illegal immigration from Bangladesh.

The agitation culminated in 1985 with the signing of the Assam Accord between movement leaders and then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. The landmark agreement promised the detection and deportation of illegal foreigners and assured Constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards to protect the cultural, social and linguistic identity of the Assamese people.

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