Assam Government to Present 42-Year-Old Nellie Massacre Report

In a pivotal announcement, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma revealed that his government will present the long-awaited Tribhuvan Prasad Tiwari Commission Report on the Nellie Massacre to the state assembly in November 2023. This decision comes forty-two years after the tragic events of February 18, 1983, when an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 people, primarily women and children, lost their lives in a brutal attack during the Assam Agitation, a movement against perceived illegal immigration.

The massacre took place across Nellie and fourteen surrounding villages in Nagaon district, marking one of the darkest periods in Assam’s history. The Tiwari Commission was established by the then Assam government to investigate the causes and circumstances of this tragedy. However, previous administrations hesitated to table the report, largely due to concerns regarding its authenticity, as it lacked the signature of Mr. Tiwari.

During a press conference, Chief Minister Sarma emphasized the importance of this report, stating, “Many governments failed to conclude if the report was ‘genuine or fake’. We have interviewed the clerks and secretaries involved in its preparation and conducted a forensic test, leading us to conclude that the report is genuine.” He underscored that presenting this report will allow the public to understand the facts surrounding the incident and its historical significance.

The chief minister further noted that various historians and social scientists have interpreted the events of that time in different ways. By making the report public, he hopes to clarify these differing narratives and provide a comprehensive account of the massacre. “There was a need to take a bold step. We thought we should table it in the Assembly since it is a part of Assam’s history,” he stated.

The announcement comes at a politically sensitive time, with Assam scheduled for assembly elections in April 2026. The decision to table the report has sparked discussions about its timing, particularly in light of ongoing eviction drives targeting Bengali-speaking Muslims in the state, an initiative led by the ruling BJP government. Opposition parties have criticized these actions as a strategy for political polarization in the lead-up to the elections.

The Nellie massacre drew considerable attention from both national and international media at the time, with reports highlighting the violence that erupted across the region. The attacks spanned approximately six hours, leaving a deep scar on the collective memory of the local communities and raising questions about communal tensions in Assam.

As the state prepares to revisit this painful chapter in its history, the tabling of the Tiwari Commission Report could be a step toward acknowledging past injustices and fostering dialogue about Assam’s complex socio-political landscape. The upcoming assembly session will likely attract significant public and media attention as the government navigates the implications of this critical historical document.