Assam Assembly winter session begins; Nellie massacre reports to be tabled

The five-day winter session of the Assam assembly began on Tuesday, during which two reports on the 1983 Nellie massacre, which claimed over 2,000 lives and displaced nearly 3 lakh people, will be placed.

'Big changes coming this winter session. From safeguarding families to modernising laws. Assam is gearing up for one of its most transformative legislative sessions," Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma posted on X.

The reports of the Tewary and the Mehta commissions, which had probed into the Nellie massacre in the backdrop of the six-year-long Assam agitation against foreigners, will also be placed in the House during the current session.

Sarma had earlier said that the state cabinet had decided to circulate the report among the members of the legislative assembly, and copies would also be provided to the assembly library.

The House will, however, not table or hold discussions on the report, he said.

The then government of Asom Gana Parishad had constituted the commissions to inquire into the incident, but the reports are not available in the public domain, the chief minister had said.

'When we inquired, we found that in 1987 the then chief minister had placed the report in the assembly and had promised that he would provide printed copies in the days to come. It was, however, not given to the MLAs and MPs, and even the assembly library does not have it," Sarma said.

Assam had witnessed unprecedented violence in 1983, and over 2000 people were killed and almost three lakh people lived in relief camps for months, he said.

The CM said 18 important bills will be tabled during the current session, and these will include the bills related to anti-love jihad, anti-polygamy, land and revenue regulation amendment, and prevention of animal cruelty amendment, among others.