25-01-2024

ASSAM HISTORY
Timeline of some important events 1911 – The Assam Bengal Railway connected the Brahmaputra
Valley with Calcutta.
1917 – Formation of Assam Sahitya Sabha
1839 – first sale of tea produced in Assam in the London
1921 – Gandhi’s first visit to Assam, followed by three more
auction market.
visits in 1926, 1934, 1946
1847 – introduction of steamer services on the river
1923-29 – Publication of Asamiya Sahityar Chaneki by the
Brahmaputra. Reduced the time taken to travel between
University of Calcutta. This work, curated and edited by
Calcutta and Guwahati.
Hemchandra Goswami, became a landmark in the history of
1872 – Garo Hills was annexed to Assam.
the Assamese literature.
1873 – Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation.
1937 – formation of the first Assam Provincial government led
1874 – Assam was separated from Bengal and made a Chief
by Mohammad Saadulla of the Assam Valley Muslim party.
Commissioner’s province.
1944 – Kohima/Imphal battle of World War II
1886 – Introduction of Assam Land and Revenue Regulation
1946 – Naga National Council formed.
1890 – Lushai Hills was annexed by the colonial government
1947 – Sylhet Referendum on 6 and 7 July
and subsequently made part of Assam in 1898.
1897 – A major earthquake (8.15-8.35)
1899 – Formation of the Assam Oil Company, a British joint
stock company, to establish an oil refinery at Digboi.
1900 – Publication of Hemkosh.
1901 – Establishment of Cotton College.
1901 – Establishment of Digboi Oil Refinery.

ASSAM HISTORY

ASSAM HISTORY
(POST INDEPENDENCE)

The firs governor of Independent Assam The first chief minister of Independent Assam

Sir Akbar Hydari Gopinath Bordoloi

The first Chief Minister of
Assam
Sayed Muhammad Saadulla
(April 1937 – September
1938)

(May 1947 – December 1948) (February 1946 – August 1950)

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ASSAM HISTORY
Gopinath Bordoloi (1946 – 1950)
• Gauhati University was established (1948)
• Gauhati High Court was established (1948)
• Guwahati station of All India Radio was established (1948)
• Muslim League in Assam was abolished in 1948.
• The Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950. popularly
known as Assam Expulsion Act came into effect on 1 March.
Bishnu Ram medhi (1950 – 1957)
• First Five-Year Plan was started
• Bodo Sahitya Sabha was formed in 1952.
• Panchayat system of governance was introduced
• Hill tracts along with some portion of Naga Hills were re-
designed as North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) in 1954.
• ONGC established in 1956 and started drilling in 1959.
• Became governor of Madras.
Bimala Prasad Saliha (1957 – 1970)
• 63rd Session of Congress in Guwahati (1958)
• Mautam in Mizo/Lushai hills in 1958-59.
• Mizo National Front (MNF) came into existence. Main
leader – Laldenga.
• Indo-China war in 1962.
• Nagalend was made a separate state in 1963.
• Saraighat Bridge was constructed (1963)
• Noonmati oil refinery was established (1962)
• Language revolt of Assam (1959-60)
• Official Language Act (1960)
• Ranjit Borpujari died in the police firing.

ASSAM HISTORY
Jogendr Nath Hazarika (September – December, 1979)
Mahendra Mohan Choudhury (1970 – 1972)
• President’s rule imposed in Assam for the first time (12th
• Balkanization of Assam in 1972. Arunachal (NEFA) and
December, 1979 – 13 January, 1980) owing to the – Assam
Mizoram (Lushai hills) were made union territories.
Agitation
Meghalaya, Manipur and Tripura became separate state.
(The name Arunachal was chosen by M. R. Yardi and Syda Anowara Taimur (December, 1980 – June, 1981)
Meghalaya was given by Shiba Prasad Chatterjee (in 1937) • One and only Muslim Chief Minister of Assam
• Indira Gandhi laid the foundation of stone of Bongaigaon • One and only Woman Chief Minister of Assam
refinery in 1972.
• Jogighopa Paper mill Kesab Chandra Gogoi (January, 1982 – March, 1982)
• Silghat (Nagaon) Jute factory
• MM Choudhury was made governor of Punjab in 1972. SPELL OF PRESIDENT RULE IN ASSAM

Sarat Chandra Singha (1972 – 1978) Pre Independence

• Capital shifted to Guwahati from Shillong (1973)
• National Emergency.
• Debakanta Barooah became the President of INC in 1976.
Golap Borbora (1978 – 1979)
• First non-congress government in Assam (Janata Dal)
•December, 1941 - November, 1942: Governor’s rule
•October 1945 - March, 1946: Governor’s rule
Post Independence
•12 December, 1979 - 6 December, 1980: President’s rule
•30 June, 1981 - 13 January, 1982: President’s rule
•19 March, 1982 - 27 February, 1983: President’s rule
•27 November, 1990 - 30 June, 1991: President’s rule
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ASSAM HISTORY
1983 - in the election held in 1983 Congress formed the government under Hiteswar Saikia

1985 - Assam Accord was signed

1985 - For the first time in the history of Assam, Assam Gana Parishad (AGP), a regional party, formed the government
under Prafulla Kumar Mahanta.

1990 - President's rule was imposed in the state (27 November, 1990 - 30 June, 1991)

1991 - The Congress form the government under Hiteswar Saikia as the Chief Minister

1996 - After the death of Hiteswar Saikia on 22nd April 1996, Dr Bhumidhar Barman took charge as the acting Chief
Minister for a few days

1996 - AGP from the government led by Prafulla Kumar Mahanta

2001 - 2006 - 2011 - Congress party headed by Tarun Gogoi got elected thrice to form the government

2016 - BJP led National democratic Alliance won a majority of seats in the Legislature. Sarbananda Sonowal of BJP
became the chief minister of Assam.

2021 - BJP led National democratic Alliance won a majority of seats in the Legislature. Himanta Biswa Sharma of BJP
became the chief minister of Assam.

ASSAM HISTORY

ASSAM AGITATION / ASSAM MOVEMENT

(1979-1985)
 Between 1948 and 1971, there were large scale migrations from
Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) to Assam.
 In 1978 Hiralal Patwari died, requiring a by-election in the Mangaldoi
Lok Sabha Constituency to fill his seat. During the process of the
election, observers noticed that the number of registered voters had
grown dramatically. AASU demanded that the elections be postponed
till the names of foreign nationals were deleted from the electoral
rolls. The Assam Agitation developed from there.
 December 10, 1979, Khargeswar Talukdar, the 22-year-old general
secretary of Barpeta AASU Unit, was beaten to death and thrown into
a ditch next to the highway at Bhabanipur. Talukdar has been
honoured by the Assam Movement as its first Martyr. AASU observes
10 December every year as Swaheed Diwas.
 In 1983, Indira Gandhi government passed Illegal Migrant
(Determination by tribunal) Act, popularly known as IMDT Act.
IMDT
It provided special protections against undue
harassment to the “minorities” affected by
the Assam Agitation. Under the IMDT Act,
the burden of proving the citizenship or
otherwise rested on the accuser and the
police, not the accused. This was a major
departure from the provisions of the
Foreigners Act, 1946. (The Act was
challenged by Sarbananda Sonowal in courts.
It was struck down by the Supreme Court of
India in 2005 in Sarbananda Sonowal v.
Union of India.)
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ASSAM HISTORY

ASSAM AGITATION / ASSAM MOVEMENT

(1979-1985)
Nellie massacre
(18 Feb, 1983)

Negotiations took placebetween the government and AASU-AAGSP during

1984-85. Finally Assam Agitation ended with the signing of Assam Accord in
1985 between then PM Rajiv Gandhi and the leaders of Assam Movement.

ASSAM HISTORY
ASSAM ACCORD
Accord between AASU, AAGSP and the Central Government on the
Foreign National Issue
Foreigners Issue (Assam Accord) 15 August 1985
5.1 - For purposes of detection and deletion of foreigners, 1.1.1966 shall be the base data and year.
5.2 - All persons who come to Assam prior to 1.1.1966, including those amongst them whose names appeared on the electoral
rolls used in 1967 elections shall be regularised.
5.3 - Foreigners who came to Assam after 1.1.1966 (inclusive) and upto 24th March, 1971 shall be detected in accordance with
the provisions of the Foreigners Act, 1946 and the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order 1964.
5.4 - Names of foreigners so detected will be deleted from the electoral rolls in force. Such persons will be required to register
themselves before the Registration Officers of the respective districts in accordance with the provisions of the Registration of
Foreigners Act, 1939 and the Registration of Foreigners Rules, 1939.
5.5 - For this purpose, Government of India will undertake suitable strengthening of the government machinery.
5.6 - On the expiry of a period of ten years following the date of detection, the names of all such persons which have been
deleted from the electoral rools shall be restored.
5.7 - All persons who were expelled earlier, but have since reentered illegally into Assam shall be expelled.
5.8 - Foreigners who came to Assam on or after March 25, 1971 shall continue to be detected, deleted and practical steps shall
be taken to expel such foreigners.
5.9 - The Government will give due consideration to certain difficulties expressed by the AASU/AAGSP regarding the
implementation of the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act, 1983.
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ASSAM HISTORY
Safeguards and economic development

6 - Constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards, as may be appropriate shall be provided to protect, preserve and
promote the culture, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people.

7 - The Government take this opportunity to renew their commitment for the speedy all round economic development of
Assam, so as to improve the standard of living of the people. Special emphasis will be placed on education and science and
technology through establishment of national institutions.6. Constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards, as may
be appropriate shall be provided to protect, preserve and promote the culture, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the
Assamese people.

ASSAM HISTORY
CHALLENGES IN THE POST INDEPENDENCE PERIOD

Disintegration
• At the time of independence state of Assam included Khasi
Hills, Lushai Hills, Naga Hills and NEFA (Arunachal Also).
Manipur and Tripura were kept as Union Territories. Sikkim was
a ‘protectorate’ of India (defence, external affairs,
communication).
• In 1963, the state of Nagaland was formed.
• The 22nd Constitutional Amendment Act (1969) created
Meghalaya as an ‘autonomous state’ or ‘sub-state’ within the
state of Assam with its own legislature and council of ministers.
• In 1972, Manipur, Tripura and Meghalaya got statehood.
Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram were separated from Assam
and given the status of Union Territory.
• In 1974, Sikkim was given the status of ‘Associate State’ (35th
amendment)
• In 1975, Sikkim was given the status of a full fledged State (36th
amendment).
• In 1987, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh were given statehood.
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ASSAM HISTORY
CHALLENGES IN THE POST INDEPENDENCE PERIOD

Awakening of the Bodo

• All Assam Tribal League (the first tribal led political party) was formed in 1933.
• After independence, Tribal League dissolved and members joined Congress.
• Bodo Sahitya Sabha was formed in 1952. first president – Joy Bhadra Hagjer. Current president – Taren Bodo.
• Plain Tribals Council of Assam (PTCA) formed in 1967 – demanded centrally administered area named
‘Udayachal’ for plain tribes.
• PTCA and Bodo Sahitya Sabha demanded Roman Script (against Assamese Script) for Bodo. Finally accepted
Devanagari Script.
• Upendra Nath Brahma (‘Bodofa’) was elected the President of the All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) in 1986.
• In 1986, more radical Bodo Nationalists took arms for the Bodo cause under the Bodo Security Force (BSF).
• Bodo Accord, 1993 – Bodoland Autonomous Council was formed.
• Bodoland Liberation Tiger (BLT) was formed on 18 June 1996.
• BSF was rechristened as National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) and sought sovereign Bodoland
through violent means.
• Bodoland Territorial Council Accord 2003 (BTC Accord) – under Sixth Schedule.
• New Accord 2020.

ASSAM HISTORY
CHALLENGES IN THE POST INDEPENDENCE PERIOD

Rise of ULFA
• Operation Bajrang, 1990-91 under General Ajay Singh
• Operation Rhino, 1991
• Operation All Clear, 2003 - The first operation ever conducted by the Royal Bhutan Army.
• In 2005, the ULFA raised hopes of peace when it formed an 11-member People’s Consultative Group only to
backtrack and unleash a fresh phase of terror. After falling in the net of the security forces in India in 2009, the
leaders of the Rajkhowa-led faction signed a ceasefire agreement with the Centre in September 2011.
Opposed to talks, Paresh Baruah “expelled” Rajkhowa from the ULFA in 2012. In April 2013, the anti-talks
group was renamed ULFA (Independent).
• The pro-talks group signed the peace accord 12 years on December, 2023 after the agreement to suspend
subversive operations.