Guwahati, Oct 24: In a landmark decision, the Assam Cabinet on Thursday approved the tabling of Tiwari Commission Report on the 1983 Nellie Massacre in the upcoming session of the Assam Legislative Assembly — over four decades after the tragedy that shocked the nation.
With the tabling of the Tiwari Commission report, the state government appears poised to finally lift the veil on a tragedy that has haunted Assam’s collective memory for over 40 years.
The move marks a historic step towards transparency and accountability on one of the darkest and most painful chapters in Assam’s history. The massacre, which took place on February 18, 1983, in and around Nellie in central Assam during the height of the Assam Agitation, left between 1,600 and 3,000 people dead, most of them women and children from Bengali Muslim families.
According to historical records, hundreds of attackers from nearby villages surrounded the settlements, setting homes ablaze and killing residents attempting to flee. The violence raged through the night, and the killings ceased only after Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troops arrived.
Following the massacre, the then state government led by Chief Minister Hiteswar Saikia constituted a one-man commission headed by Justice Tribhubhan Prasad Tiwari to investigate the causes and circumstances of the tragedy. The commission reportedly submitted its findings in 1984, but successive governments kept the report under wraps, citing its “sensitive nature.”
Announcing the Cabinet decision, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the government has now verified the authenticity of the report, which had long been in question.
“Governments in the past did not make the report public as the signature of Justice Tiwari was missing, raising doubts about its authenticity. We traced clerical staff who worked with the commission and even conducted forensic analysis. Now, we are convinced that the report is genuine,” Sarma told reporters.
The Chief Minister said the decision to table the report was driven by a desire to let the new generation understand the context and circumstances under which the massacre took place. “It is time that Assam confronts its past with honesty and transparency,” he said.
Once tabled, the report is expected to reignite long-simmering debates around accountability, justice, and reconciliation.
The timing of the decision — just months before the state heads for elections — has also generated political interest.
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