Non-govt panel's report on Assam Agitation to be tabled in assembly: CM

Guwahati, Nov 23 (PTI) The Assam cabinet on Sunday decided that the report of a non-government commission, formed at the behest of civil society organisations to look into incidents of violence during the anti-infiltration Assam Agitation, will be tabled in the assembly, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

He claimed that it would be the first time that the report of a commission formed by non-government agencies will be tabled in the assembly, when it meets for a five-day session from Tuesday.

Addressing a press conference after chairing a meeting of the council of ministers, Sarma said, "The All Assam Students' Union (AASU) has said that the report of the Justice (Retd.) T U Mehta Commission, which was formed by Mukti Jujaru Sanmilan and the agitators, also should be made public so that people can get to know all sides," he said.

The chief minister said the cabinet has approved the tabling of the non-government commission report, making it the first time that the findings of a privately constituted committee will be placed.

"We have also decided to place copies of the report of the Tewary Commission, which was constituted in 1983 to look into the incidents of violence that year," he said.

The six-year-long Assam Agitation had culminated with the signing of the Assam Accord in August 1985, though the problem of illegal migrants, over which the movement took place, continues to persist in the state.

Sarma said that though the Tewary Commission report was tabled in 1987 by then-CM Prafulla Kumar Mahanta of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), only one copy to the Speaker was laid.

The AGP was the political offshoot of the Assam Gana Sangram Praishad, which was a signatory to the tripartite Accord along with AASU and the central government.

"On Tuesday, we will be providing copies to all MLAs and others too," the chief minister said.

"Technically, both reports are public, but copies were not distributed," he pointed out.

Sarma further maintained that though the Tewary Commission was formed by the Congress government, the report was "generally neutral and compiled through much hardships".

"Congress thinks there are provocative things in the report, that the BJP will gain politically. But there is nothing of the kind. It is just a historic piece that will be lost to time if the copies are not made public. It is an academic exercise," he said.

He criticised the current Congress leadership as being "hollow and immature" for trying to resist the publication of the report of a commission formed under their party helmed by Indira Gandhi at the Centre and Hiteshwar Saikia, father of the incumbent leader of opposition in assembly, at Dispur.

"The report has some negative things on AASU, but they say let it come out. New generations will learn a lot of things of the situation then... It is a crime against humanity to hide history," Sarma added.

The chief minister further said the cabinet also approved about 27 Bills that will be placed in the assembly, including allotment of land to tea garden workers, regulation of fees of private educational institutions run by minority communities, and the setting up of a philanthropic university by Azim Premji Foundation. PTI SSG SSG ACD