Assam: Seminar in Guwahati brings Tiwari Commission Report back into public focus

Guwahati: A seminar held in Guwahati on Sunday, organised by The Crosscurrent at Hotel Apollo Grand, brought the long-sealed Tiwari Commission Report on the 1983 Assam disturbances back into public focus.

The session marked the first open discussion on the document after its release under the Right to Information Act recently.

The key speakers included former Governor of Arunachal Pradesh and ex-Chief Secretary of Assam, Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa; IIT Guwahati scholar Dr. Arupjyoti Saikia; Gauhati High Court advocate Santanu Barthakur; and senior journalist Bedabrata Lahkar, who was an eyewitness to the events at Nellie. The discussion was anchored by writer and human rights activist Bonojit Hussain. The Managing Director and Editor of The Crosscurrent were also present.

The deliberations opened with panelists highlighting that the report compiled by senior IAS officer Tribhuvan Prasad Tewary, spanning nearly 500 pages, remains one of the most detailed official accounts of the violence that erupted during the controversial 1983 elections in Assam.

The speakers emphasised that the Commission’s findings showed the events were not a single communal riot but a series of incidents across districts involving different linguistic, ethnic, and religious groups.

The report documented cases where Assamese settlements were attacked in some areas, while Bengali-speaking villages were targeted elsewhere.

The panel also referred to the report’s conclusion that the election acted as a trigger rather than the root cause. As polls were conducted using unrevised electoral rolls amid the anti-foreigner agitation, large sections of the Assamese public viewed the process as illegitimate—leading to boycotts, intimidation, and clashes.

Migration, Land and Underdevelopment

Drawing from the Commission’s analysis, speakers underlined long-term demographic shifts, land scarcity, and unemployment as key drivers of public anxiety in the period leading up to the violence. According to the report, census data from 1901 to 1971 showed sharp population increases in certain districts, intensifying fears among Assamese-speaking communities of becoming a linguistic minority.

The report also flagged tensions in the riverine chars, where weak administration and continuous settlements exacerbated land conflicts. Economic underdevelopment and frustration among educated youth were noted as additional stress factors.

State Response and Scale of Violence

Participants discussed the Commission’s criticism of administrative lapses, including failures in intelligence gathering, communication, and deployment of forces.

While acknowledging individual acts of bravery, the report noted that key warnings went unheeded.

According to the Commission’s own figures, 2,072 people were killed in group clashes, 235 in police firing, and over 2.25 lakh people were rendered homeless, with more than 22,000 houses damaged or burnt.

Contemporary Relevance

Panelists said that the findings of the report carry renewed significance today, as debates over migration, citizenship, and identity continue in Assam.

They stressed the need for deeper engagement with historical records and greater attention to survivor testimonies, an area the Commission did not extensively document.

The seminar was streamed live on The Crosscurrent's Facebook and YouTube channels.