1983 Assam violence 'non-communal'; 'AASU, AGSP primarily responsible for stir': Tewary Commission

Guwahati: The large-scale violence in Assam in 1983, when the infamous Nellie massacre also occurred, had no "communal colour" though the fear of the Assamese people of "being overwhelmed" numerically was "not imaginary", the state government-formed Tewary Commission that probed the incidents in the first four months of that year said.

The panel also held that the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) and Asom Gana Sangram Parishad (AGSP) were "primarily responsible for launching the stir and for its consequences", referring to the anti-influx Assam Agitation.

The copies of the report of the commission of 1983 were circulated in the assembly on first day of Winter Session on Tuesday.

The period investigated by the commission was when assembly elections were held amidst widespread protests against it, which recorded low voter turnout with the Congress sweeping to power, bringing to an end nearly a year-long President's Rule.

The six-year-long anti-infiltration movement, Assam Agitation, was led mainly by AASU and AGSP.

The printed copies of the report were placed on the desks of the MLAs during the day's proceedings, as it were not handed to then-legislators due to "non-availability of sufficient copies" when it was tabled in the House by the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP)-led government in 1987.

The AGP was the political offshoot of the AGSP, which was a signatory of the tripartite Assam Accord in August 1985 along with AASU and the central government, bringing the Agitation to an end.

'The Commission of Enquiry on Assam Disturbances 1983', headed by retired IAS officer Tribhuvan Prasad Tewary, was constituted on July 14, 1983, to "look into the circumstances leading to the disturbances" from January to April of that year.

The final report was submitted to the then-Congress government in May, 1984.

A recent cabinet decision of the incumbent BJP-led government, of which AGP is a partner, had said that hard and soft copies of the report will be circulated in the assembly during the Winter Session.

The Tewary Commission was asked to examine the measures taken by the authorities to anticipate, prevent and deal with the disturbances, and to assess whether there was "any deficiency or failures" on the part of any authority or individual.

The panel examined 257 witnesses, including 106 officials.

The number of incidents during the period was 8,019, if various cases resulting in complaints were treated as separate incidents.

As many as 2,072 people were killed in group clashes and another 235 in police firing. Altogether 2,26,951 people were rendered homeless and 2,48,292 people were forced to take shelter in relief camps.

"...all the districts of the state excepting those of Cachar and North Cachar Hills, were affected...," the report said.

In its 'Conclusions and Recommendations', the commission stated that the decision to hold the elections cannot be blamed for the violence as it maintained that parliamentary process should not be obstructed nor any government must submit to threats or actual violence.

"AASU and AAGSP are primarily responsible for launching the agitation and for its consequences," it said, adding that there is "overwhelming evidence" that incidents of destruction of property, bandhs, etc were "organised in a pre-planned and extensive scale."

"The whole situation got out of their control and the violence resulted in enormous loss of human life and property," it said.

A large majority of government servants joining the agitators created further difficulties in maintaining law and order.

The report said that evidence showed the "mass support was built, among other things, on threats, intimidations, coercion and violence".

The report maintained that while the extent and intensity of the agitation exceeded original assessment, "the system worked well".

"It is entirely unwarranted to give a communal colour to the incidents under inquiry. All sections of the society suffered as a result of the senseless violence," it contended.

The report noted that the fear of the Assamese people "being overwhelmed by numbers is not imaginary," and it will help "in building a cordial atmosphere if the minorities themselves come forward in identifying the infiltrators."

Stating that "occupation of land by the migrants is one of the greatest irritants," it advocated for special protection "as in Kashmir where no real estate can be acquired by or sold to an outsider."

Recommending "reasonable restrictions" on transfer of immovable property to non-Assamese people, the report said while defining an 'Assamese' for this purpose, a reference to the National Register of Citizens or a minimum period of domicile in the state can be reasonable conditions, among others.

While legislative protection is given to some parts of the state in case of transfer of land, the report pitched for same protection to valley areas as is given in tribal belts and blocks.

"The question of detection of infiltrators and the ejectment of encroachers are inter-linked in certain areas," the report said, noting that evictions were stopped in 1979.

The report noted that the composite character of the Assamese population can be a great asset provided sectional interests are not pursued and communalism not allowed to poison the minds of the people.

On February 18, 1983, over 2,000 people were killed, mostly Muslims, in a single night in the infamous Nellie massacre in the central Assam district of Morigaon.