Nellie massacre, 1983
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A backgrounder
Sukrita Baruah, Nov 19, 2025: The Indian Express
The Nellie Massacre of February 18, 1983, one of the worst instances of mass violence in post-Independence India, is back in focus with the Assam government tabling and releasing on Tuesday two key reports on the unrest that engulfed the state at the time.
Of these, the report of the ‘Commission of Enquiry on Assam Disturbances’ led by IAS officer Tribhuvan Prasad Tewary was an official administrative enquiry into the circumstances of the 1983 violence and the measures authorities took to anticipate and prevent it.
What did the report say about the conditions leading to the incident, and did it identify any lapses in how authorities handled it?
What was the context of the Nellie massacre
The violence in Nellie on February 18, 1983, occurred while Assam was in the throes of the Assam Agitation, which began in 1979 and sought the detection of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, their deletion from the state’s voter rolls, and their deportation. Of the places affected was Central Assam’s Nagaon district, where Nellie was then located.
Unrest in the district had been ongoing throughout the agitation years. The Tewary Commission report recounts events in May 1980 that culminated in houses of Assamese people in Rupahi Bhakatgaon being set on fire by minority residents, leading to a curfew and the killing of five Muslims in police firing for violating it.
It also describes another clash between communities in November 1980 in Morajhar and states that many agitational programmes were held in 1981 in which “many cases of assaults, intimidations, pelting of stones, bomb explosions, etc were reported”. It further recounts “extremist activity”, including a crude pipeline explosion at Mikirghat in February 1981.
Amid this unrest, elections to the state Legislative Assembly — Assam had been under President’s Rule since March 1982 — were announced for February 1983. This decision was highly contentious, especially since ‘purification’ of electoral rolls was central to the agitation. The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) and All Assam Gana Sangram Parishad (AAGSP), which led the agitation, announced a boycott of the elections, intensifying the unrest.
What was the situation in Nagaon during the run-up to the elections
In early 1983, Assam saw violent clashes across districts, and the violence in Nellie — with an official death toll of 1,800 and an unofficial count of around 3,000, mostly Bengali-speaking Muslims — was the deadliest. Nellie now falls in present-day Morigaon district.
The Tewary report states that officials in Nagaon had anticipated violence but not its scale. “The Deputy Commissioner (S.K. Tewari) stated that it was quite clear from the start that the agitators would apply all possible methods and mostly violent ones to stop the election process,” it says. “He also stated that it was equally clear that if the election was held in spite of the opposition, violence against linguistic and religious minorities participating in the election would be attempted and therefore, the district administration had assessed the situation and made preparation.”
“The SP indicated that he did not anticipate the extent of violence which engulfed the district,” it notes.
Preparations included 1,046 people being held in preventive detention, another 22 detained under the National Security Act, suspension of arms licences and ammunition sales across the district, and daily coordination meetings between senior security officials, magistrates and police officers.
Meanwhile, those opposing the elections began burning bridges in remote areas, torching polling stations, and all government employees except magistrates and police personnel went on strike from February 4 after the Karamchari Parishad declared non-cooperation.
The first violent clash in the district took place on February 12, when, as the report recounts, Assamese Hindus went to Gagalmari under Morigaon police station to burn a bridge and “local immigrant Muslims” obstructed them; one Assamese Hindu was injured. Rumours about this spread to neighbouring Assamese Hindu villages, sparking clashes across parts of the district, leaving many — both Assamese Hindus and Bengali-origin Muslims — dead.
The report records DC S.K. Tewari saying prevention and response were compromised by a breakdown in communications and field information networks. “…large scale burning of bridges, sabotage of telephone lines, strike in P & T department, flow of information was severely affected and mobility of the force was also drastically reduced,” he said.
What happened in Nellie
Nellie, under Jagiroad police station in Morigaon subdivision of Nagaon district, comprises 21 villages. The violence on February 18 took place in 13 villages in and around Nellie. Non-official witnesses said the carnage lasted about seven hours, from around 8–8:30 am to 3–3:30 pm.
“Thousands of people had come from all sides with deadly weapons and started attacking Muslims, including women and children, and burnt many houses,” the reports cites them as saying.
However, key police officers deposing before the commission said they received information much later. The OC of Jagiroad police station said he learnt of the violence at around 10:30 am, and the commission took a stern view that after receiving this, he “did not bother to proceed himself personally” to Nellie with the two CRPF platoons initially sent, and went only later with additional forces.
SDPO Pramod Chetia said he found out around 12:30 pm through a phone call from the local MLA; SP Daulat Singh said he first received information around 2:30 pm; MNA Kabir, Commandant of the 5th Assam Police Battalion in charge of law and order in Morigaon subdivision, said he learnt of it only late that evening; and DIG P.C. Sharma said he found out at midnight.
However, the report notes that intelligence about the possibility of such an attack had been received as early as February 15. The OC of Nagaon police station had been informed by two residents of Nellie and a local Nagaon professor on February 15 about fears of an attack on Muslim villages. He sent a message addressed to MNA Kabir and copied to SDPO Chetia and the OC Jagiroad: “Information received that last night about one thousand Assamese people of surrounding villages of Nellie armed with deadly weapons assembled at Nellie by beating of drums. Minority people are in panic and apprehending attack at any moment. Submission for immediate action to maintain peace”.
None of these officers admitted to receiving this message before the event: in Kabir’s case it was delivered to his wife; in the SDPO’s case it was placed on his table; and in the OC Jagiroad’s case, in his “put up basket”.
The commission was critical of the OC Nagaon’s omission in not informing the SP Nagaon of this message.
“Had these three officers been careful… they would have come to know of it on 15 February itself and if their knowledge would have been converted into obvious actions, there would, perhaps, have been some effective preventive action at Nellie. In so far as Nellie is concerned, even the plea of lack of previous information cannot be taken,” it said.
Even before this message, the OC Jagiroad said he had received a petition from Hindu villagers of Nellie expressing apprehensions of attack from Muslims and warning of communal clashes. He sent a report to the Circle Inspector on February 15 mentioning apprehension of clashes at Nellie, Borbori and nearby villages. This was brought to the notice of IGP Law and Order K.P.S. Gill, who ordered patrolling and formation of peace committees. The OC visited Borbori but did not place fixed pickets, citing lack of adequate forces.
The commission was critical of this, noting that a CRPF company from Nagaon had arrived at Jagiroad on the night of February 17. “… force was available with OC of Jagiroad police station on 17th and then on 18th but was not utilised effectively and immediately on receiving the information.”
