Mehta Panel Report on 1983 Violence in Assam

The Assam Government has tabled the Justice (Retd.) T.U. Mehta Commission Report in the State Assembly. The tragic violence that swept across Assam in 1983 remains one of the most sensitive chapters in the State’s modern history. To understand the causes, triggers, and circumstances behind these disturbances including the infamous Nellie incident, the Assam Government appointed the T.P. Tewary Commission. As this commission did not take the opinions of the agitators, the Assam State Freedom Fighters Association constituted an unofficial inquiry commission headed by Justice T.U. Mehta.

These commissions attempted to document the social, political, and administrative factors that shaped the unrest during January to April 1983.

The Mehta Panel Report, along with various Census documents, provides strong evidence about the continuous influx of people from erstwhile East Bengal (now Bangladesh) since the 1890s. While the Mehta Commission report cited the imposition of elections against the wishes of people as the main reason behind the violence, the official one said that the decision to hold the polls that year cannot be blamed.

The 1983 Violence and Enquiry Commissions:

• The 1983 violence in Assam had taken place in the midst of Assembly elections, held under President’s Rule due to the Assam Agitation.
• The Assam movement began in 1979, with its primary demand being the detection and deportation of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, and hit its peak in the early 1980s.
• Assam witnessed severe disturbances during January – April 1983, including the tragic Nellie massacre of 18^th February, 1983.
• Two important commissions studied the causes of this violence. These are the government appointed Tribhubhan Prasad Tewary Commission and unofficial T.U. Mehta Commission.

Tewary Commission:

• The Tribhubhan Prasad Tewary Commission or the Commission of Enquiry on Assam Disturbances was appointed by the State government.
• This one-member commission was to look into the circumstances leading to the violence in the State during January – April, 1983, including the Nellie Massacre of 18^th February, 1983.

• The Commission submitted its report to the state government in May, 1984 and the report was tabled in the House in 1987.
• It investigated the reasons behind the 1983 violence and documented the conditions that led to widespread unrest.
• According to the Tewary Commission report, the violence killed 3,023 people across 11 districts between January 1 and April 30, 1983 and around 1,811 people were killed in Nagaon district alone.

Mehta Panel Report:

• The Tewary Commission did not take the opinions of those who were part of the agitation. It prompted the Assam Freedom Fighters’ Association to constitute a non-governmental commission in January, 1984.
• Consequently, the T.U. Mehta Commission of Enquiry was formed by the Assam State Freedom Fighters’ Association (Mukti Jujaru Sanmilan). 
• The Mehta Commission included retired Himachal Pradesh Judge T.U. Mehta, retired IAS Ganesh Chandra Phukan and Cotton College Professor Raihan Shah.
• It conducted an independent inquiry on the violence erupted during the state Assembly elections in February 1983.
• Its findings gave detailed insights into the long history of migration and its impact on Assam.
• The Commission reviewed historical Census reports, administrative documents, and demographic data.
• It confirmed that the migration wave from East Bengal had started in the 1890s and continued for decades.

Key Takeaways from the Mehta Panel Report:

• Historical Background of Migration into Assam:
  • Migration from East Bengal into Assam did not begin recently. It started in the 1890s and increased significantly after 1900.
  • The British administration encouraged this movement because it wanted to use Assam’s fertile but sparsely populated lands for revenue generation.
  • However, even early British officials expressed concerns about the long-term impact of this migration.
• Early Census Observations on Migration:
  • Census Report of 1911:
    • The Census Commissioner of 1911 warned that migration could change the future of Assam forever.
    • He feared that unchecked migration might impact Assam’s language, culture, and demographic composition.

• Census Report of 1931: CS Mullan’s Warning:
  • In 1931, Census Commissioner CS Mullan made a stronger remark. He wrote that migrants from Mymensingh district were “land-hungry” and would alter Assam’s demography.
  • He cautioned that these migrants could endanger the cultural identity of the indigenous Assamese population.
• Post-Independence Migration Trends:
  • Migration did not stop after 1947. In fact, the demographic pattern of Assam changed rapidly during the early decades of independence.
  • Census Report of 1951:
    • The Census Commissioner of 1951 recorded a huge number of migrants entering Assam by train.
    • Around 10% were Hindus, and the rest were Muslims.
    • He described them as “land-hungry people” who wanted cultivable land.
  • Abnormally High Population Growth:
    • Population growth in Assam far exceeded the national average during critical decades.

• These numbers support the claim that migration from East Pakistan continued unhindered during this period.
• Officials also claimed that many migrants showed allegiance to Pakistan and adopted an anti-India stand during the 1962 China War.
• Government Response to Migration:
  • Illegal Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950:
    • The Central Government enacted this Act because migration created serious law and order problems.
    • The Act aimed to detect and expel illegal migrants who entered Assam without valid documents.
  • Prevention of Infiltration Scheme (1965):
    • The Union Home Ministry launched the Prevention of Infiltration from Pakistan Scheme in 1965.
    • It later became the Prevention of Infiltration of Foreigners (PIF) scheme.
    • The Ministry reported that 2.5 lakh infiltrators entered Assam in just 12 years.
  • Need for Detection and Deportation: The Mehta Report supported the need for policies to detect and deport illegal migrants.

Key points of difference between the reports of two commission:

• A key point of difference between the reports and their analysis of the incidents was their stand on the decision to hold elections in Assam in 1983. Moreover, at that time, the Assam Agitation was at its peak.
• The Tewary Commission report stated that the decision to hold the election cannot be blamed for the outbreak of the violence of 1983.
  • Furthermore, it held that the issues of foreigners, language etc. had been agitating the minds of the people for the last several decades.
  • These issues also exploded into violence on several previous occasions. Most of the disturbances were not related to elections.
• On the other hand, the Mehta Commission held that the elections were the main and immediate cause of the violence.
  • Moreover, the Mehta Commission held that the situation was not at all congenial for holding a truly free and fair election.
  • The governments – state and central, were aware of it and the Election Commission ought to have known it.

Conclusion:

The Mehta Panel Report confirms that migration into Assam has deep historical roots. It began in the 1890s and continued for decades, creating long-term demographic and cultural impacts. Repeated warnings from Census Commissioners and multiple government reports indicate that this issue shaped Assam’s history, politics, and identity.

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Sources:

1. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/assam/1983-poll-violence-assam-government-to-table-unofficial-mehta-panel-report-says-cm-himanta-biswa-sarma/article70316860.ece
2. https://indianexpress.com/article/political-pulse/assam-darkest-chapter-two-reports-shed-light-contrasting-accounts-10385650/
3. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/mehta-comission-report-on-assam-agitation-to-be-tabled-in-assembly/articleshow/125532244.cms?from=mdr
4. https://www.deccanherald.com/india/assam/assam-government-lays-mehta-commission-report-on-1983-poll-violence-3809581