Case Study of Assam

CASE STUDY OF THE STATE OF ASSAM: VARIOUS DIMENSIONS
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CASE STUDY OF ASSAM (2015-16): VARIOUS DIMENSIONS- RAJ

KRISHNA
1. INTRODUCTION
Assam is a state in Northeast India. Located south of the eastern Himalayas, Assam comprises
the Brahmaputra Valley and the Barak Valley along with the Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao
districts with an area of 30,285 square miles (78,440 square km).
The precise etymology of "Assam" came from Ahom Dynasty. In the classical period and up to
the 12th century the region east of the Karatoya River, largely congruent to present-day Assam,
was called Kamarupa, and alternatively, Pragjyotisha. In medieval times the Mughals used
Asham (eastern Assam) and Kamrup (western Assam), and during British colonialism, the
English used Assam. Though many authors have associated the name with the 13th century Shan
invaders the precise origin of the name is not clear. It was suggested by some that the Sanskrit
word Asama ("unequalled", "peerless", etc.) was the root, which has been rejected by Kakati,and
more recent authors have concurred that it is a latter-day Sanskritization of a native name.
Among possible origins are Tai (A-Cham) and Bodo (Ha-Sam).1
Assam, along with Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Meghalaya, is
one of the Seven Sister States. Geographically Assam and these states are connected to the rest
of India via a 22 kilometers (14 mi) strip of land in West Bengal called the Siliguri Corridor or
"Chicken's Neck". Assam shares an international border with Bhutan and Bangladesh; and its
culture, people and climate are similar to those of South-East Asia – comprising the elements in
India’s Look East policy.2 Assam became a part of British India after the British East India
Company occupied the region following the First Anglo-Burmese War of 1824–1826.
Assam is known for Assam tea and Assam silk. The first oil well in Asia was drilled here. The
state has conserved the one-horned Indian rhinoceros from near extinction, along with the pygmy
hog, tiger and various species of Asiatic birds. It provides one of the last wild habitats for the
1
Peter Jackson, The Delhi Sultanate: A Political and Military History, at 141 (1st edition, 2003).
2
Sushanta Talukdar, Assam has lead role in Look East effort: PM, The Hindu (Chennai) April 20 2012.
CHANAKYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, PATNA

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Asian elephant. The Assamese economy is aided by wildlife tourism, centered on Kaziranga
National Park and Manas National Park which are World Heritage Sites. Sal tree forests are
found in the state, which as a result of rainfall looks green all year round. Assam receives more
rainfall compared to most part of India. This rain feeds the Brahmaputra River, whose tributaries
and oxbow lakes provide the region with a hydro-geomorphic and aesthetic environment.
However, now the eyes of country have turned towards this state due to Assembly elections
which are scheduled to take place this month. Thus, the research becomes more important as it
will help people know the ground reality of the state than the reality depicted by the political
manifesto of the parties.
BRIEF INFORMATION OF THE STATE:
*Country- India.
*Region-Northeast India.
*Before statehood-Assam Province.
*Capital-Dispur.
*Largest city-Guwahati.
*Districts-32.
1. PRESENT GOVERNMENT
*Governor- Padmanabha Balakrishna Acharya.
*Chief Minister- Tarun Gogoi (INC).
*Legislature-Unicameral (126 seats).
*Parliamentary constituency-14.
*High Court- Guwahati High Court.
2. AREA

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*Total-78,438 km2 (30,285 sq mi).
*Area rank-17th.
3. POPULATION AND GROWTH
*Population (2011)-31,205,576.3
*Rank-15th.
*Density-400/km2 (1,000/sq mi).
*HDI-Increase 0.444 (low).
*HDI rank-22nd (2005).
*Literacy-79.18% (26th).4
*Official language(s)-Assamese.
*Co-official languages-English, Bengali (In the three districts of Barak Valley), Bodo (In the
four districts of Bodoland Territorial Council).
4. STATE SYMBOLS
*Song-O Mur Apunar Dex
*Dance-Bihu Dance
*Animal-One-horned rhinoceros
*Bird-White-winged wood duck
*Flower- Rhynchostylis Retusa
*Tree-Dipterocarpus
3
Assam Population Sex Ratio in Assam Literacy rate data, Census2011, (April 20, 2016, 11:28 p.m.)
http://www.census2011.co.in/census/state/assam.html
4
Id.

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*River- Brahmaputra
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:
The aim of the researcher is to present a detailed study of Assam. It includes the past history and
the present reality of Assam. The researcher has made a detailed study of the socio-political and
economic conditions of the state. Further the researcher has also highlighted the problems of the
state [Most importantly the ethnic problem]. At the end the researcher had suggested some
suggestions to solve the problem.
HYPOTHESIS:
The researcher has presumed that most of the problems are faced by the state due to its ethnic
diversity.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS:
The researcher has conducted research on following research questions:
Q1. What is the history of Assam?
Q2. What is the present socio-political scenario in Assam?
Q3. Why does this state witness ethnic conflicts in past?
Q4. What is the demography of Assam?
LIMITATIONS:
Owing to the large number of topics that could be included in the project, the scope of this
research paper is exceedingly vast. However in the interest of brevity, this paper has been limited
to the topics concerned with the socio-political scenario and economy. Less importance have
been given to the cultural aspects.
The researcher had time and money limitations while making of this project. The researcher got a
time period of 3 months to complete the project. Apart from that the researcher could contact

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only 4 people through interviews and questionnaire while doing Non- Doctrinal Mode of
research.
REVIEW OF LITERATURE:
For the purpose of research the researcher went to CNLU library and found various sources both
of Primary and secondary nature relating to his research topic
Boundaries Undermined: The Ruins of Progress on the Bangladesh-India Border by

Delwar Hussain
What do Bangladesh-India geopolitics, an 8 feet tall fence; cross-border coal mining, eunuchs,
and neoliberalism have in common? In Boundaries Undermined: The Ruins of Progress on the
Bangladesh-India Border, Delwar Hussain has straddled these subjects deftly to weave a
compelling story of the socio-economic transformations along the Bangladesh-India border, first
ushered in by public sector industries, and then by a barely legal coal mining industry. Hussain
draws on extensive ethnographic field work conducted as part of his doctoral studies at the
University of Cambridge, and details findings from two coal-mining centers: the floodplains of
Sylhet (Bangladesh) and the West Khasi Hills of Meghalaya (India). He has placed this empirical
evidence within current debates around development in post-colonial, South-Asian nations and
challenges assumptions about the efficacy of neoliberal policies in leading to progress. By doing
so, Hussain, an anthropologist by training and Bangladeshi by birth, portrays an intimate and
detailed narrative of social, economic and aspirational transformations in borderland
communities.
The book has three main strands of investigation. The first uses the case of a limestone mining
project in Bangladesh to examine why state-led industrial development – envisaged as a pathway
towards ‘progress’ for newly independent countries – failed to deliver equitable development.
The second strand follows daily experiences and practices of people – Hindus and Muslims,
men, women, eunuchs, young and old – and examines how the neoliberal development model is

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played out, lived and reimagined in the local context. A third strand analyses the rise of multiple
agents of governance actors – the state, civil society, and international donors – and its
implications for development in Bangladesh.
In the Introduction and Chapter One (“The Future that did not Happen”), the reader is introduced
to the once promising township of Limestone Mining Project at Khonighat (pseudonym) on the
Bangladesh floodplains. Beyond the obvious economic development it promised, the state-led
project was envisaged as a symbol of modern development making a valuable contribution to the
emerging nation of Pakistan. However, slowly it was realised that industrialisation benefited only
those inside the ‘enclave of modernity’ while the vast ‘backward’ majority remained steeped in
poverty. This disenchantment with inflated public sectors, and distorted economic controls
resulted in the closure of the Khonighat Project. In vivid words, Hussain has portrayed present-
day Khonighat as an abandoned township, littered with the debris of a now defunct limestone
industry, populated by people tinted with the nostalgia of industrial progress as a route to
economic growth and grandiose dreams of their contributions to a ‘progressive’ Bangladesh.
Contrastingly, Hussain has explored the bustling, unorganised coal mining industry of which
village Borapani is a part. Here we meet busy people, faces blackened with coal, lively markets
and Muslims and Bengali Hindus continuously negotiating a fine divide between legal and
illegal livelihoods. He deconstructs the dichotomy of formal and informal coal mining and
elaborates on different working spheres and boundaries for men and women.
It is in Chapter 3 (“The Sexual Lives of Borderlanders”), that Hussain has demonstrated his skills
as a promising anthropologist by delving into the complexities of the hijra (eunuch) community,
central to the coal mining industry in Boripani. Blending extensive ethnographic observation
with contemporary debates around the ‘third sex/gender’, Hussain has shed light on the lives,
aspirations, and practices of hijras. In doing so, he deconstructs efforts to ‘exoticise and
essentialise a social group’ which he concludes ‘for all intents and purposes are like any other
social group within society’ (p.81). Husain criticises previous scholarly attempts to categories the
community into neat boxes of hijras and non-hijras because these distinctions lose the ‘fluid,

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overlapping and contradictory’ nature of individual identities and behaviour that constantly move
in and out of the boundaries to which they are confined (p.85). Through engaging storytelling
supplemented by quotes, Hussain demonstrates that Borapani hijras see themselves as ‘both man
and woman’ and it is this ability to skilfully negotiate the binary gender framework that allows
them to be ‘socially active and prominent within the private domains of intimate lives and public
world of civic religious and political life’ (p.90).
In Chapter 4 (“State of Relief”), Hussain has explored the diminishing role of the state as an
agent of growth, and subsequent increasing influence of NGOs. He explains that in Bangladesh
there is little difference between State presence in border and non-border regions because earlier
as part of Pakistan, and now as independent Bangladesh, the State was never in a position to
provide welfare. In its place, NGOs have usurped the role of the state as a vehicle of
‘development’; international NGOs try to use aid effectively, build nationwide infrastructure as
well as promote good governance, while the smaller ‘indigenous NGOs’ utilise foreign funds
towards welfare of marginalised groups. However, Hussain has found out that this NGO
phenomenon has not alleviated poverty the way it intended or was expected to. Instead, it has
helped propel the middle class towards prosperity while further marginalising the marginalised.
To contextualise the role of the State in Bangladesh, he has advanced the concept of
‘transnational governmentality’ – an extension of Foucault’s governmentatility. The author
explains how governing practices are conducted by state actors, by deterritorialised institutions
of global governance like the World Bank, WTO, and IMF, and by transnational alliances
between NGOs and international donors. He adds that a globalised media and international
public opinion are contributors to this multiplicity of governance. The reduction in State
accountability has provided the international aid community a license to intrude upon domestic
policy. Further, Hussain argues that decentralising the State as the sole actor of governance has
implications for international border interactions and has resulted in the heightened securitisation
of the Bangladesh-India border signified by the fence building programme.

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Boundaries Undermined is valuable for readers looking for a nuanced introduction to the
complex and multiple constructions of development along the Bangladesh-India border in
particular and south Asia in general. Further, Hussain makes the thesis globally relevant by
placing his arguments in the context of enclosure and fencing debates in US-Mexico, Israel-
Palestine, and Saudi-Yemen borders. The richness of Hussain’s work, supplemented with his
excellent writing promises to provide even experts with fresh insights into constructions of
‘multiple modernities’ and ‘mutating poverties’ in the region. Finally, for anthropology students,
the book is instructive in ethnographic research methods. By being upfront about his ambiguous
positionality of a Bangladeshi-born, British national and the difficulties in conducting fieldwork
in environmentally fragile and politically insecure regions, Hussain gives valuable advice to
novice anthropologists. My only critique of Boundaries Undermined is its somewhat abrupt
ending. The brief conclusion, mere one and a half pages, leaves the reader with lack of closure.
However, overall, Boundaries Undermined contributes significantly to debates around the
multiple implications of neo liberalization for post-colonial emerging nations and to the
ethnography for South Asia.
Apart from the Doctrinal study, the researcher has also done field work to know the ground
reality of Assam.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:
The researcher has adopted both Doctrinal and Non- Doctrinal method of research to complete
the project. Doctrinal Research includes the library study, whereas the Non- Doctrinal Research
includes the field study.
SOURCES OF DATA:
The researcher has relied on both primary and secondary sources of data to complete the project.
Apart from that the researcher has also done field-work, the details of which has been mentioned
earlier.
Primary Sources – 100th Amendment Act [Indian Constitution], Armed Forces (Special Powers)
Act, 1958 etc…

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Secondary Sources- Books, Journals, Articles, and Magazines concerned with the issues of
Assam.
METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION:
For the purpose of data collection researcher has used Observation, Questionnaire and Interview.
TOOLS OF DATA COLLECTION:
For the purpose of research various tools such as Observation schedule, Interview schedule,
notepad, pen, paper, camera etc. has been used by the researcher.
PILOT SURVEY:
The researcher has successfully conducted a pilot survey on a small sample from the target group
before opting for the non-doctrinal mode of research or going for a field study and found it very
useful and helping in due course of research. In this the Researcher pre-tested his prepared set of
questions to two people residing in his neighboring locality and took their interview in a more
informal way.
This pilot survey done by the researcher helped him a lot as it help him pre visualize the whole
process and method by which the final survey should be conducted. The researcher was also able
to find out the loopholes and errors present in his questionnaire that should be corrected and
filled in order to make the questionnaire more effective and purposeful for the very purpose of
the research.
SAMPLING METHOD:
Researcher has used purposive and convenient method of sampling due to paucity of time and
various limitations while doing research.
MODE OF CITATION:

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The researcher has followed Bluebook Citation [19th edition].
2. HISTORY OF ASSAM
2.1 PRE- HISTORY
Assam and adjoining regions have evidences of human settlements from all the periods of the
Stone ages. The hills at the height of 1,500–2,000 feet (460 to 615 m) were popular habitats
probably due to availability of exposed dolerite basalt, useful for tool-making.5
2.2 ANCIENT HISTORY
Samudragupta's 4th century Allahabad pillar inscription mentions Kamarupa (Western Assam)
and Davaka (Central Assam) as frontier kingdoms of the Gupta Empire. Davaka was later
absorbed by Kamarupa, which grew into a large kingdom that spanned from Karatoya River to
near present Sadiya and covered the entire Brahmaputra valley, North Bengal, parts of
Bangladesh and, at times Purnea and parts of West Bengal.6
Ruled by three dynasties Varmanas (c. 350–650 CE), Mlechchha dynasty (c.655–900 CE) and
Kamarupa-Palas (c. 900–1100 CE), from their capitals in present-day Guwahati
(Pragjyotishpura), Tezpur (Haruppeswara) and North Gauhati (Durjaya) respectively. Country
was 10,000 li (6000 km) in circuit and capital city Pragjyotishpura was about 30 li (18 km). All
three dynasties claimed their descent from Narakasura, an immigrant from Aryavarta.
In the reign of the Varman king, Bhaskar Varman (c. 600–650 AD), the Chinese traveler
Xuanzang visited the region and recorded his travels. Later, after weakening and disintegration
5
H.K. Barpujari (editor), The Comprehensive History of Assam at 44 (1st edition,1990)
6
Suresh Kant Sharma, Usha Sharma, Discovery of North-East India: Geography, History, Cutlure Volume 3, at
248(1st edition, 2005)

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(after the Kamarupa-Palas), the Kamarupa tradition was somewhat extended till c. 1255 AD by
the Lunar I (c. 1120–1185 AD) and Lunar II (c. 1155–1255 AD) dynasties.7
2.3 MEDIVEAL HISTORY:
During the medieval era the Ahoms, a Tai group, ruled Upper Assam for nearly 600 years
(1228–1826 AD) while the Sutiya rulers (1187 -1673 AD) held the regions on the north bank of
Brahmaputra with its domain from Vishwanath in the west to Parshuram Kund in the east in
Upper Assam and in the state of Arunachal Pradesh. The Koch, a Tibeto-Burmese, established
sovereignty in c. 1510 AD. The Koch kingdom in western Assam and present North Bengal was
at its zenith in the early reign of Naranarayana (c. 1540–1587 AD). It split into two in c. 1581
AD, the western part as a Moghul vassal and the eastern as an Ahom satellite state. Since c. the
13th century AD, the nerve centre of Ahom polity was upper Assam; the kingdom was gradually
extended till Karatoya River in the c. 17th or 18th century. It was at its zenith during the reign of
Sukhrungpha or Sworgodeu Rudra Simha (c. 1696–1714 AD). Among other dynasty, the
Kacharis (13th century-1854 AD) ruled from Dikhow River to central and southern Assam and
had their capital at Dimapur. The rivalry between the Sutiyas and Ahoms for the supremacy of
eastern Assam led to a series of battles between them from the early 16th century till the start of
the 17th century, which saw great loss of men and money. With expansion of Ahom kingdom, by
the early 17th century, the Sutiya areas were annexed and since c. 1536 AD Kacharis remained
only in Cachar and North Cachar more as an Ahom ally then a competing force.
Despite numerous invasions, mostly by the Muslim rulers, no western power ruled Assam until
the arrival of the British. Though the Mughals made seventeen attempts to invade, they were
never successful. The most successful invader Mir Jumla, a governor of Aurangzeb, briefly
occupied Garhgaon (c. 1662–63 AD), the then capital, but found it difficult to control people
making guerrilla attacks on his forces, forcing them to leave. The decisive victory of the
Assamese led by the great general Lachit Borphukan on the Mughals, then under command of
Raja Ram Singha at Saraighat (1671) had almost ended Mughal ambitions in this region.
7
Id. at 254.

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Mughals were finally expelled from Lower Assam during the reign of Gadadhar Singha in 1682
AD.8
2.4 COLONIAL ERA:
The discovery of Camellia sinensis in 1834 in Assam was followed by its tests in 1836–37 in
London. The British allowed companies to rent land from 1839 onwards. Thereafter tea
plantations mushroomed in Eastern Assam, where the soil and the climate were most suitable.
Problems with the imported laborers from China and hostility of native Assamese resulted in
migration of forced laborers from central and eastern parts of India.9 After initial trial and error
with planting the Chinese and the Assamese-Chinese hybrid varieties, the planters later accepted
the local Camellia assamica as the most suitable one for Assam. By the 1850s, the industry
started seeing some profits. Industry saw initial growth, when in 1861, investors were allowed to
own land in Assam and it saw substantial progress with invention of new technologies and
machinery for preparing processed tea during the 1870s.10
Despite the commercial success, tea laborers continued to be exploited, working and living under
poor conditions. Fearful of greater government interference, the tea growers formed the Indian
Tea Association in 1888 to lobby to retain the status quo. The organization was very successful
in this, and even after India’s independence, conditions of the laborers have improved very little.
In the later part of the 18th century, religious tensions and atrocities of nobles led to the
Moamoria rebellion, resulted in tremendous casualties of lives and property. The rebellion was
suppressed but the kingdom was severely weakened by the civil war. Political rivalry between
Prime Minister Purnananda Burhagohain and Badan Chandra Borphukan, the Ahom Viceroy of
Western Assam, led to the invitation to the Burmese by the latter, in turn leading to three
successive Burmese invasions of Assam. The reigning monarch Chandrakanta Singha tried to
check the Burmese invaders but he was defeated after fierce resistance.
A reign of terror was unleashed by the Burmese on the Assamese people, who fled to
neighboring kingdoms and British-ruled Bengal. The Burmese reached the East India Company's
8
Jackson, supra note 1 at 176.
9
E.A. Gait, The Assam Immigration manual at 42(1st edition , 1893)
10
E.A.Gait, A History of Assam at 225(1st edition, 1906)

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borders, and the First Anglo-Burmese War was ensued in 1824. The war ended under the Treaty
of Yandabo in 1826, with the Company taking control of Western Assam and installing Purandar
Singha as king of Upper Assam in 1833. The arrangement lasted till 1838 and thereafter the
British gradually annexed the entire region.
Initially Assam was made a part of the Bengal Presidency, then in 1906 it was a part of Eastern
Bengal and Assam province, and in 1912 it was reconstituted into a chief commissioners'
province. In 1913, a legislative council and, in 1937, the Assam Legislative Assembly, were
formed in Shillong, the erstwhile capital of the region. The British tea planters imported labour
from central India adding to the demographic canvas.
After a few initial unsuccessful attempts to gain independence for Assam during the 1850s, anti-
colonial Assamese joined and actively supported the Indian National Congress against the British
from the early 20th century, with Gopinath Bordoloi emerging as the preeminent nationalist
leader in the Assam Congress. Bordoloi's major political rival in this time was Sir Saidullah, who
was representing the Muslim League, and had the backing of the influential Muslim cleric
Maulana Bhasani.
The Assam territory was first separated from Bengal in 1874 as the 'North-East Frontier' non-
regulation province, also known as the Assam Chief-Commissionership. It was incorporated into
the new province of Eastern Bengal and Assam in 1905 after the partition of Bengal (1905–
1911) and re-established in 1912 as Assam Province.
At the turn of the 20th century, British India consisted of eight provinces that were administered
either by a governor or a lieutenant-governor. The Assam Province was one among major eight
provinces of British India. The table hereafter shows the major original provinces during British
India covering the Assam Province under Administrative Office of Chief Commissioner.
With the partition of India in 1947, Assam became a constituent state of India. The district of
Sylhet of Assam (excluding the Karimganj subdivision) was given up to East Pakistan (which
later became Bangladesh).

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2.5 MODERN HISTORY:
The Government of India, which had the unilateral powers to change the borders of a state,
divided Assam into several states since 1970 to satisfy national aspirations of the tribal
populations living within the then borders of then Assam. In 1963 the Naga Hills district became
the 16th state of India under the name of Nagaland. Part of Tuensang was added to Nagaland. In
1970, in response to the demands of the tribal peoples of the Meghalaya Plateau, the districts
embracing the Khasi Hills, Jaintia Hills, and Garo Hills were formed into an autonomous state
within Assam; in 1972 it became a separate state under the name of Meghalaya. In 1972,
Arunachal Pradesh (the North East Frontier Agency) and Mizoram (from the Mizo Hills in the
south) were separated from Assam as union territories; both became states in 1986.
Since the restructuring of Assam after independence, communal tensions and violence remained
there. Separatist groups began forming along ethnic lines, and demands for autonomy and
sovereignty grew, resulting in fragmentation of Assam. In 1961, the Government of Assam
passed a legislation making use of the Assamese language compulsory. It was withdrawn later
under pressure from Bengali speaking people in Cachar. In the 1980s the Brahmaputra valley
saw a six-year Assam Agitation triggered by the discovery of a sudden rise in registered voters
on electoral rolls. It tried to force the government to identify and deport foreigners illegally
migrating from neighboring Bangladesh and changing the demographics. The agitation ended
after an accord between its leaders and the Union Government, which remained unimplemented,
causing simmering discontent.
The post 1970s experienced the growth of armed separatist groups like United Liberation Front
of Asom (ULFA) and National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB). In November 1990, the
Government of India deployed the Indian army, after which low-intensity military conflicts and
political homicides have been continuing for more than a decade. In recent times, ethnicity based
militant groups have grown. Regional autonomy has been ensured for Bodo-Kachari community
in Bodoland Territorial Council Areas (BTC), for the Karbis in Karbi Anglong and for the people

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of Dima Hasao district under the 6th schedule and Autonomous District Councils (ADC) areas
under Indian constitution, while Non-6th Schedule States in the North-East where under 73rd
and 74th amendments (Panchayati Raj Institutions) have been applied in Assam (excluding Karbi
Anglong Autonomous District Council and North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council), after
agitation of the communities due to sluggish rate of development and general apathy of
successive state governments towards indigenous communities.
3. PRESENT CONDITION OF ASSAM
3.1 DEMOGRAPHY:
3.1.1 Population:
Total population of Assam was 26.66 million with 4.91 million households in 2001.11 Higher
population concentration was recorded in the districts of Kamrup, Nagaon, Sonitpur, Barpeta,
Dhrubri, Darrang, and Cachar. Assam's population was estimated at 28.67 million in 2006 and at
30.57 million in 2011 and is expected to reach 34.18 million by 2021 and 35.60 million by
2026.12
As per 2011 census, total population of Assam was 31,169,272. The total population of the state
has increased from 26,638,407 to 31,169,272 in the last ten years with a growth rate of 16.93%.
Of the 32 districts, eight districts registered rise in the decadal population growth rate. Religious
minority-dominated districts like Dhubri, Goalpara, Barpeta, Morigaon, Nagaon, and Hailakandi,
recorded growth rates ranging from 20 per cent to 24 per cent during the last decade. Eastern
Assam districts including Sivasagar, and Jorhat registered around 9 per cent population growth.
These districts do not share any international border. In 2011, literacy rate in the state was
73.18%. Male literacy rate was 78.81% and female literacy rate was 67.27% In 2001, the census
had recorded literacy in Assam at 63.3% with male literacy at 71.3% and female at 54.6%.
11
Assam Population Sex Ratio in Assam Literacy rate data, Census2001, (April 20, 2016, 11:36 p.m.)
http://www.census2001.co.in/census/state/assam.html
12
Supra note 2.

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Percentage of people residing in rural areas was nearly 85.2%, whereas less than 15% people
reside in cities.13
Growth of population in Assam has risen since the mid-decades of the 20th century. Population
grew from 3.29 million in 1901 to 6.70 million in 1941. It increased to 14.63 million in 1971 and
22.41 million in 1991. The growth in the western and southern districts was high primarily due to
the influx of people from East Pakistan, now Bangladesh.
The mistrust and clashes between native Bodos and East Bengal rooted Muslims started as early
as 1952. At least 77 people died and 400,000 people was displaced in the 2012 Assam violence
between indigenous Bodos and East Bengal rooted Muslims.
The Assamese Hindus are the largest community people in Assam. The population of Assamese
Hindus in Assam is 11,379,000 making up 36.50 % of Assam population at 2011 census. The
People of India project has studied 115 of the ethnic groups in Assam. 79 (69%) identify
themselves regionally, 22 (19%) locally, and 3 trans-nationally. The earliest settlers were
Austroasiatic and Dravidians speakers, followed by Tibeto-Burman, Indo-Aryan speakers, and
Tai–Kadai speakers. Forty-five languages are spoken by different communities, including three
major language families: Austroasiatic (5), Sino-Tibetan (24) and Indo-European (12). Three of
the spoken languages do not fall in these families. There is a high degree of bilingualism
3.1.2. Religion:
According to the 2011 census, 61.5% were Hindus, 34.22% were Muslims. Christian minorities
(3.7%) are found among Scheduled Tribe population. Scheduled Tribe population in Assam is
around 13% in which Bodos account for 40%. Other religions followed include Jainism (0.1%),
Buddhism (0.2%), Sikhism (0.1%) and Animism (amongst Khamti, Phake, Aiton etc.
communities).14
13
Id
14
Supra note 2.

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3.1.3. Language:
Assamese and Bodo are the major indigenous and official languages while Bengali holds official
status in the three districts in the Barak Valley and is the second most widely spoken language of
the state (27.5%). Percentage of Hindi speaking people is less than 5%.15
3.2 GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS:
As of August 2015, the state has 32 administrative districts. On August 15, 2015, five new
districts were formed in addition to former 27 districts. The five new districts are Biswanath
(carved out of Sonitpur), Charaideo (of Sivasagar), Hojai (of Nagaon), South Salmara-
Mankachar (of Dhubri) and West Karbi Anglong (of Karbi Anglong). These districts are further
sub-divided into 54 "Sub-divisions" or Mohkuma. Every district is administered from a district
headquarters with the office of the Deputy Commissoner, District Magistrate, Office of the
District Panchayat and usually with a district court.
The districts are delineated on the basis of the features such as the rivers, hills, forests, etc. and
majority of the newly constituted districts are sub-divisions of the earlier districts.16
Local Government:
The local governance system is organised under the jila-parishad (District Panchayat) for a
district, panchayat for group of or individual rural areas and under the urban local bodies for the
towns and cities. There are now 2489 village panchayats covering 26247 villages in Assam. The
'town-committee' or nagar-somiti for small towns, 'municipal board' or pouro-sobha for medium
towns and municipal corporation or pouro-nigom for the cities consist of the urban local bodies.
15
Id.
16
District, Assam Government (April 21, 2016, 11:40 p.m.) http://assam.gov.in/districts

P a g e | 18
Assam has two big cities. The largest is Guwahati and other major cities are Silchar, Dibrugarh
and Jorhat. Smaller cities are Tezpur, Nagaon, Sivasagar etc. For the revenue purposes, the
districts are divided into revenue circles and mouzas; for the development projects, the districts
are divided into 219 'development-blocks' and for law and order these are divided into 206 police
stations.
3.3 EDUCATION:
Assam schools are run by the Indian government or by private organizations. Medium of
instruction is mainly in Assamese, English or Bengali. Most of the schools follow the state’s
examination board which is called the Secondary Education Board of Assam. Almost all private
schools follow the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE), Indian Certificate of
Secondary Education (ICSE) and Indian School Certificate (ISC) syllabuses.
Assamese language is the main medium in educational institutions but Nepali language is also
taught as a major Indian language. In Guwahati and Digboi, many Jr. Basic School and Jr. High
School are Nepali medium. As a major Indian language, Nepali is included by Assam State
Secondary Board, Assam Higher Secondary Education Council and Guwahati University in their
HSLC, higher secondary and graduation level respectively, in some junior basic and higher
secondary schools and colleges, Nepali teachers and lecturers are appointed.
The capital, Guwahati, contains institutions of higher education for students of the north-eastern
region. Cotton College, Guwahati, dates back to the 19th century. Assam has several institutions
for tertiary education and research. Some of the notable educational institutes of the state are IIT,
NIT, and NLU etc…The literacy rate of the state is just above 79%.
3.4 ECONOMY:
Assam's economy is based on agriculture and oil. Assam produces more than half of India's tea.
The Assam-Arakan basin holds about a quarter of the country's oil reserves, and produces about
12% of its total petroleum. According to the recent estimates, Assam's per capita GDP is ₹6,157
at constant prices (1993–94) and ₹10,198 at current prices; almost 40% lower than that in India.

P a g e | 19
According to the recent estimates, per capita income in Assam has reached ₹6756 (1993–94
constant prices) in 2004–05, which is still much lower than India's.17
3.4.1 Macro Economy:
The economy of Assam today represents a unique juxtaposition of backwardness amidst plenty.
Despite its rich natural resources, and supplying of up to 25% of India's petroleum needs,
Assam’s growth rate has not kept pace with that of India; the difference has increased rapidly
since the 1970s. The Indian economy grew at 6% per annum over the period of 1981 to 2000; the
growth rate of Assam was only 3.3%.In the Sixth Plan period, Assam experienced a negative
growth rate of 3.78% when India's was positive at 6%. In the post-liberalized era (after 1991),
the difference widened further.
According to recent analysis, Assam’s economy is showing signs of improvement. In 2001–02,

the economy grew (at 1993–94 constant prices) at 4.5%, falling to 3.4% in the next financial
year. During 2003–04 and 2004–05, the economy grew (at 1993–94 constant prices) at 5.5% and
5.3% respectively. The advanced estimates placed the growth rate for 2005–06 at above 6%.
Assam's GDP in 2004 is estimated at $13 billion in current prices. Sectoral analysis again
exhibits a dismal picture. The average annual growth rate of agriculture, which was 2.6% per
annum over the 1980s, has fallen to 1.6% in the 1990s. The manufacturing sector showed some
improvement in the 1990s with a growth rate of 3.4% per annum than 2.4% in the 1980s. For the
past five decades, the tertiary sector has registered the highest growth rates of the other sectors,
which even have slowed down in the 1990s than in the 1980s.18
3.4.2. Employment:
Unemployment is one of the major problems of Assam which can be attributed to

overpopulation, and a faulty education system. Every year, large numbers of students obtain
higher academic degrees but because of non-availability of proportional vacancies, most of these
17
Economic Survey of Assam 2005–2006 in NEDFi, Assam Profile, NER Databank, Government of Assam (April
22, 2016, 11:48 p.m.) http://online.assam.gov.in/web/guest/revenu
18
Poor infrastructure, stringent policies bottleneck for Assam’s growth, The Economic Times, July 9, 2015 (April
23, 2016, 7:30 a.m.) http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2015-07-09/news/64243560_1_assam-poor-
infrastructure-skilled-manpower

P a g e | 20
students remain unemployed. A number of employers hire over-qualified or efficient, but under-
certified, candidates, or candidates with narrowly-defined qualifications. The problem is
exacerbated by the growth in the number of technical institutes in Assam which increases the
unemployed community of the State. Many job-seekers are ineligible for jobs in sectors like
Railways, and Oil India by the appointment of candidates from outside Assam to those posts.
Reduction of the unemployed has been threatened by illegal immigration from Bangladesh. This
has increased the workforce without a commensurate increase in jobs. Immigrants compete with
local workers for jobs at lower wages, particularly in construction, domestics, Rickshaw-pullers,
and vegetable sellers. The government has been identifying (via NRC) and deporting illegals.
Continued immigration is exceeding deportation.19
3.4.3. Agriculture:
In Assam among all the productive sectors, agriculture makes the highest contribution to its
domestic sectors, accounting for more than a third of Assam’s income and employs 69% of
workforce. Assam's biggest contribution to the world is Assam tea. It has its own variety
Camellia assamica. The state produces rice, rapeseed, mustard seed, jute, potato, sweet potato,
banana, papaya, areca nut, sugarcane and turmeric.
Assam’s agriculture is yet to experience modernization in a real sense. With implications for
food security, per capita food grain production has declined in the past five decades. Productivity
has increased marginally, but is still low compared to highly productive regions. For instance,
the yield of rice (staple food of Assam) was just 1531 kg per hectare against India’s 1927 kg per
hectare in 2000–01 (which itself is much lower than Egypt’s 9283, US’s 7279, South Korea’s
6838, Japan’s 6635 and China’s 6131 kg per hectare in 2001). On the other hand, after having
strong domestic demand, and with 1.5 million hectares of inland water bodies, numerous rivers
and 165 varieties of fishes, fishing is still in its traditional form and production is not self-
sufficient.
19
Panel for study of unemployment problem in Assam, Zee News, October 26, 2012 (April 24, 2016, 11:30 a.m.).
http://zeenews.india.com/news/assam/panel-for-study-of-unemployment-problem-in-assam_807697.html

P a g e | 21
Flood in Assam greatly affects the farmers and the families dependent on agriculture because of
large-scale damage of agricultural fields and crops by flood water. 20
3.4.4. Industry:
Assam's proximity to some neighboring countries such as Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan,
benefits its trade. There are several Land Custom Stations (LCS) in the state bordering
Bangladesh and Bhutan to facilitate border trade.
The government of India has identified some thrust areas for industrial development of Assam:
*Petroleum and natural gas based industries
*Industries based on locally available minerals
*Processing of plantation crops
*Food processing industries
*Agri-Horticulture products
*Herbal products
*Biotech products
*Pharmaceuticals
*Chemical and plastic based industries
*Export oriented industries
*Electronic and IT base industries including services sector
*Paper making industries
*Textiles and sericulture
20
Supra note 17.

P a g e | 22
*Engineering industries
*Cane and bamboo based industries
Assam is a producer of crude oil and it accounts for about 15% of India's crude output, exploited
by the Assam Oil Company Ltd., and natural gas in India and is the second place in the world
(after Titusville in the United States) where petroleum was discovered. Asia’s first successful
mechanically drilled oil well was drilled in Makum way back in 1867. Most of the oilfields are
located in the Eastern Assam region. Assam has four oil refineries in Digboi (Asia's first and
world's second refinery), Guwahati, Bongaigaon and Numaligarh and with a total capacity of 7
million metric tonnes (7.7 million short tons) per annum. Asia's first refinery was set up at
Digboi and discoverer of Digboi oilfield was the Assam Railways & Trading Company Limited
(AR&T Co. Ltd.), a registered company of London in 1881. One of the biggest public sector oil
companies of the country Oil India Ltd. has its plant and headquarters at Duliajan.
Many of these industries are facing loss and closure due to lack of infrastructure and improper
management practices.
3.4.5. Tourism
Assam also receives a substantive amount of revenue through tourism because of several tourist
spots. Assam government earned revenue of Rs. 95 Lakhs in the year 2007-08 and nearly 12000
tourists visited the state. In the recent times the revenue has further risen up.21
21
Revenue Statistics Online Portal, Assam Government (April 24, 2016, 11:40 p.m.)
http://online.assam.gov.in/web/guest/stastics

P a g e | 23
4. ETHNIC PROBLEM IN ASSAM
From both a utopian ideal and a political necessity, India always has been committed to unity
through diversity. Despite being a nation of people speaking twenty-four major languages,
practicing a half dozen religions, and belonging to widely different ethnic groupings, India has
maintained its coherence since gaining independence from Britain in 1947. Yet cultural
differences, communal separatism, and competition among ethnic groups for jobs, social status,
and political power nonetheless have resulted in bitter and violent struggles. In Assam, these
conflicts are compounded by immigration problems and demographic changes, which have pitted
indigenous Assamese against migrant Bengalis, Hindus against Muslims, and Assam against
India's central government. In 1983, this ethnic tension erupted into violence that led to the
deaths of over seven thousand persons in less than a fortnight. Despite attempts to resolve the
controversies, religious, linguistic, and cultural tensions in Assam remain high today. Unless
steps are taken to protect and preserve the existence and viability of Assam's different ethnic
groups, this tension will almost certainly erupt again into even greater ethnic violence.
When the Assamese "movement against foreigners" was launched twelve years ago, it was
labeled variously as secessionist, anti-Muslim, and anti-Bengali. The Assamese involved in the
movement have long denied these characterizations. They insist that their struggle to "protect"
Assam from non-Indians is not a religious, ethnic, or separatist movement. Rather, it is a national

P a g e | 24
movement against the continued presence of foreigners in Assam, and is designed to succeed
where both the Indian government and the Indian Constitution have failed.
Indeed, there are millions of illegal Nepalese and Bengali immigrants in Assam, and the Indian
government has failed in its duty to prevent this illegal migration. Nevertheless, it is also true
that the Assamese have been agitating not only to expel foreigners, but also to protect the
Assamese language and culture and preserve Assamese dominance in the state's political arena. It
would be oversimplifying the issue to characterize the conflict in Assam solely as a matter of
Indians versus non-Indians. A more honest approach recognizes that the growing non-Assamese
groups in the state genuinely threaten the Assamese identity with extinction, and that the purpose
of the movement is to stop this threat. Although the casus belli for the agitation might be Indian
nationalism, it is Assamese sub nationalism that is its driving force.22
Due to this entire Centre has often imposed the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 in
Assam.23
HISTORIC ETHNIC CLASHES IN ASSAM:
1. 2012 ASSAM VIOLENCE:
In July 2012, violence in the Indian state of Assam broke out with riots between indigenous
Bodos and Bengali-speaking Muslims. The first incident was reported to have taken place on 20
July 2012. As of 8 August 2012, 77 people had died and over 400,000 people were taking shelter
in 270 relief camps, after being displaced from almost 400 villages. Eleven people have been
reported missing.
On 27 July 2012, Assam's Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi blamed the UPA led national government
for a "delay in army deployment to riot-hit areas". The next day, Indian prime minister
Manmohan Singh visited the relief camps in Kokrajhar and called the recent violence a blot on
the face of India. Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram visited the state on Monday, 30 July to
review the security situation and the relief and rehabilitation measures being taken.
22
Robert G. Gosselink, Minority Rights and Ethnic Conflict in Assam,India, Boston College Third World Law
Journal Vol.14 (1994).
23
AFSPA extended in Assam by another year, The Hindu, January 4 2015 (Guwahati) (April 26, 2015, 10:00 p.m.)
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/afspa-extended-in-assam-by-another-year/article6752460.ece

P a g e | 25
Lok Sabha member from Bodoland, Sansuma Khunggur Bwiswmuthiary blamed illegal
immigration for the violence in the state. The Election Commissioner of India, H.S. Brahma, said
that of the 27 districts in Assam, 11 of them will be shown to have a Muslim majority when the
2011 census figures are published. Singh was criticized for not dealing with the flood of illegal
immigrants from Bangladesh, A fraudster posing as a scholar had asserted that the flooding of
illegal immigrants from Bangladesh was a myth.
The violence and exodus of thousands of people from Northeast India reportedly led to a series
of incessant protests in Assam, at multiple locations, during the months of August–September.
The protesters' main demand was expeditious detection and deportation of illegal infiltrators
from Assam. On 15 September, at a convention of non-political tribal groups, organisations
representing Bodo, Dimasa, Tiwa, Deuri, Karbi, Garo, Rabha, Sonowal Kacharis and other tribal
communities decided to form a coordination committee for the cause. The tribal leaders said that
illegal immigration has threatened the existence, right to land and resources to all indigenous
people of the entire state, and it was not limited to Bodoland alone. 24
2. ANTI- BIHAR SENTIMENT:
Biharis have sought work in many states that form part of North East India. There were
significant communities in Assam, Nagaland, and Manipur. Biharis who come to work as
labourers are frequently and especially targeted in Assam by ULFA militants. There is a fear
amongst the local population that Bihari migrants will dominate and annihilate the regional
culture and the language. As with all migrations in history, this has created tensions with the
local population, which has resulted in large scale violence. In 2000 and 2003, anti-Bihari
violence led to the deaths of up to 200 people, and created 10,000 internal refugees. Similar
violent incidents have also taken place recently in Manipur and Assam. According to K P S Gill
waves of xenophobic violence have swept across Assam repeatedly since 1979, targeting
Bangladeshis, Bengalis, Biharis and Marwaris.25
3. NELLIE MASSACRE:
24
Assam Violence: Death Toll Rises to 44, Outlook Press Trust of India 26 July 2012 (April 26, 2016, 8:30 p.m.)
http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=770014
25
Attack on Biharis: CM assures action, The Times of India July 7, 2009 (April 26, 2016, 9:00 p.m.)
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/Attack-on-Biharis-CM-assures-
action/articleshow/4746246.cms?referral=PM

P a g e | 26
The Nellie massacre took place in central Assam during a six-hour period in the morning of 18
February 1983. Although the involvement of members of mainstream Assamese communities
and lower castes in carrying out the massacre is commonly evoked, the identities of the rioters
are debated by scholars. The massacre claimed the lives of 2,191 people (unofficial figures run at
more than 10,000) from 14 villages—Alisingha, Khulapathar, Basundhari, Bugduba Beel,
Bugduba Habi, Borjola, Butuni, Indurmari, Mati Parbat, Muladhari, Mati Parbat no. 8, Silbheta,
Borburi and Nellie—of Nagaon district. The victims were East Bengal rooted Muslims whose
ancestors had relocated in pre-partition British India. Three media personnel — Hemendra
Narayan of Indian Express, Bedabrata Lahkar of Assam Tribune and Sharma of ABC — were
witnesses to the massacre. The victims were descendants of Muslims who came to Assam on the
direct patronage of the then Assam Government of British India in the first decade of 20th
century.
The violence that took place in Nellie was seen as fallout of the decision to hold the controversial
state elections in 1983 in the midst of the Assam Agitation, after Indira Gandhi's decision to give
4 million immigrants from Bangladesh the right to vote. It has been described as one of the worst
pogroms since World War II.
A documentary What the Fields Remember has been produced by Public Service Broadcasting
Trust.26
26
Kimura Makiko, The Nellie Massacre of 1983: Agency of Rioters (1st edition 2013).

P a g e | 27
5. OTHER PROBLEMS IN STATE OF ASSAM
5.1 UNEMPLOYMENT:
As discussed earlier unemployment is one of the major problems of Assam which can be
attributed to overpopulation, and a faulty education system. Every year, large numbers of
students obtain higher academic degrees but because of non-availability of proportional
vacancies, most of these students remain unemployed. A number of employers hire over-
qualified or efficient, but under-certified, candidates, or candidates with narrowly-defined
qualifications. The problem is exacerbated by the growth in the number of technical institutes in
Assam which increases the unemployed community of the State. Many job-seekers are ineligible
for jobs in sectors like Railways, and Oil India by the appointment of candidates from outside
Assam to those posts.
Reduction of the unemployed has been threatened by illegal immigration from Bangladesh. This
has increased the workforce without a commensurate increase in jobs. Immigrants compete with
local workers for jobs at lower wages, particularly in construction, domestics, Rickshaw-pullers,
and vegetable sellers. The government has been identifying (via NRC) and deporting illegals.
Continued immigration is exceeding deportation.27
27
Supra note 19.

P a g e | 28
5.2. DEMAND OF BODOLAND:
Bodoland is a proposed state of India consisting of areas located in the extreme north on the
north bank of the Brahmaputra River in the state of Assam, in north east region of India, by the
foothills of Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh. It is one of the most beautiful regions in eastern
India. The region is predominantly inhabited by over one million indigenous Bodo people.
Currently the map of Bodoland includes the Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD)
administered by the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) and other parts covering over twenty-
five thousands square kilometers. The territory came into existence under the BTC Accord in
February 2003. The map of Bodoland overlaps with the districts of Kokrajhar, Baksa, Chirang
and Udalguri in the state of Assam. At present, Kokrajhar serves as the capital of Bodoland
Territorial Area Districts.
There has been a serious demand of Bodoland for a long period of time. After the formation of
Telengana, demand of Bodoland has gathered momentum. Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra
Modi's visit to Kokrajhar in Assam on Tuesday, three Bodo organisations on Monday once again
put forward their demand for a separate Bodoland state.
The All Bodo Students Union (ABSU), the National Democratic Front of Bodoland-Progressive
(NDFB-P) militant group that favors negotiations and Peoples Joint Action Committee for
Bodoland Movement (PJACBM) also said that Modi should by 19 January make the
government's stand clear on the long-pending demands of the Bodos.
"The Bodos have been agitating for many years for a separate state. Over 7,000 people have lost
lives during the Bodo movement. Our demand is for a separate state under Articles 2 and 3 of the
Constitution," ABSU president Promod Boro said on Monday (April 25, 2016).28
5.3. PRONE TO NATURAL DISASTER:
Apart from the above mentioned problems, one of the major problems of the state is its
proneness to natural disasters.
28
Ahead of PM Modi's Assam visit, Bodos reiterate demand for separate Bodoland state, First Post (April 26, 2016,
10:15 p.m.) http://www.firstpost.com/india/ahead-of-pm-modis-visit-to-assam-bodos-reiterate-demand-for-a-
separate-bodoland-state-2588610.html

P a g e | 29
Assam is often affected with floods, erosion, earthquakes etc… Although a major earthquake has
not happened for a long time. But, flood is a regular phenomenon.
Assam has once again been hit by flood. This disaster has happened a couple of days back. As on
Monday almost one lakh people have been affected across six districts in the first wave of floods
in Assam.
According to an official release by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA),
nearly one lakh people were suffering in Jorhat, Sivasagar, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Cachar and
Charaideo districts.
Authorities have opened 40 relief camps in Sivasagar, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh and Charaideo where
7,412 inmates were taking shelter. So far nearly 5,000 hectares of crop area have been inundated
by flood water, the release said.
Currently, Burhidihing and Desang Naglamuraga rivers were flowing above the danger mark in
Sivasagar, it said. Army, NDRF and SDRF teams have been deployed for search and rescue
operations in flood affected areas of Charaideo district. Relief materials have been distributed to
flood affected people in Sivasagar, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia and Charaideo.
Meanwhile, train services over Lumding–Silchar hill section, which resumed yesterday evening
with the movement of goods train, had to be controlled again today due to further landslides at
four places between Lumding and Badarpur. Accordingly train services in the section have been
regulated till completion of restoration work, NF Railway officials said.
Weather condition continues to remain very inclement in affected areas as road communication
remained disrupted to the Barak Valley.29
29
Floods cause havoc in Assam, displace nearly one lakh people in state, First Post (April 26, 2016, 10:47 p.m.)
http://www.firstpost.com/india/floods-cause-havoc-in-assam-displace-nearly-one-lakh-people-in-state-2748466.html

P a g e | 30
6. THE ASSAM STATE ELECTIONS 2016
The legislative assembly election were held in two phases on April 4 and 11 2016 to elect
members of the 126 constituencies in Assam. The overall polling percentage in Assam elections
of 2016 was 84.72%, which is highest in the history of Assam. The turnout saw an increase from
the 2011 Assembly election figure, which was 75%.30
The counting of votes and results are scheduled for 19 May 2016.
ELECTORAL PROCESS:
National Register of Citizens of India (NRC) is being updated in Assam and the process is to be
completed by 1 January 2016. The process is monitored by Supreme Court of India. By
September 2015, The first phase of updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam
was completed, with over 66.90 lakh households submitting forms linking themselves to either
the NRC of 1951 or any of the electoral rolls prior to 24 March 1971. It will be followed by task
of verifying the applications. The whole exercise is meant for detection, detention and
deportation of the illegal migrants who crossed over to Assam from Bangladesh on or after
March 25, 1971. Since 1985, Foreigners’ Tribunals have declared over 38,000 persons in Assam
as illegal migrants. Nearly 1.5 lakh names in Assam’s electoral rolls carry the prefix “D” — for
“Doubtful” citizenship status. Supreme Court has directed Assam Government to complete
upgrading of draft as well as the final NRC by March 1, 2016.In May 2015, the historic India
Bangladesh land swap deal was signed. It is alleged that this land swap is just a political stunt by
BJP as BJP was always against the land swap; whether it was time of Indira Gandhi ( that time
30
Over 78 percent votes cast in Assam polls first phase, ABP Live, April 4 2016 (April 26, 2016, 11:00 p.m.)
http://www.abplive.in/over78percentvotescastinassam

P a g e | 31
Jana Sangha was opposing the proposal, BJP emerged from Jana Sangha) or it was during
transfer of 3 bhigha corridor to Bangladesh by Ex-PM Manmohan Singh in 2011.
According to the draft electoral rolls published in October 2015, the total number of voters in
Assam stand at 1.92 crore. Election Commission has said that final electoral rolls will be
published by 11 January 2016. In November 2015, Union Minister and Lakhimpur MP
Sarbananda Sonowal were made Assam BJP chief and he will head election committee. Sonowal
labelled the situation of ‘illegal immigration’ from Bangladesh “very alarming. Sonowal was
pioneer in getting the controversial IMDT Act struck down by Supreme court of India in
December 2006.Himanta Biswa Sarma, a state Congress heavyweight joined BJP. BJP has aimed
for ‘Mission 84’ in Assam. BJP led in 69 assembly constituencies in the Lok Sabha elections
2014 by winning 7 Lok Sabha seats in Assam. For the first time, the BJP had contested the
Bodoland Territorial Council elections, and won a seat.31
31
Id.

P a g e | 32
7. FIELD WORK AND DATA ANALYSIS
The researcher through method of interview and questionnaire was able to contact 4 people for
the purpose of research. Out of the four, one was the native of Assam. Whereas the others were
outsiders posted in Assam.
All the 4 respondents agreed to the fact that Assam has changed for better. However in
comparison of other states the growth rate is less. Acts of violence has lowered a bit. But, Assam
being a highly sensitive area can witness ethnic clash any moment.
Everyone agreed to the fact that unemployment is the main mother problem through which other
problems have come out. Ethnic conflict is very much due to the unemployment in the state. If
everyone is employed then the clashes between people will definitely lessen. In regard of the
elections, no one is pretty sure that which party will win. Some believe Congress, whereas the
others BJP.

P a g e | 33
8. CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS
The hypothesis of the researcher has been proved correct. It’s the ethnic diversity of the state
which has caused most of the problems. Demand of Bodoland, ethnic conflicts etc… are all
because of the ethnic diversity of the state. However, it can be said that its unemployment which
is the mother of all problem. It is because the local people are not getting proper jobs. As a result
they have turned hostile towards the outsiders. They feel that if the outsiders go then they will
get their jobs back. Therefore, the government should take immediate actions to give job to the
youth. Once the youth is employed then they won’t go for any unlawful activities.
The issue of Bangladeshi refugees is one of the biggest issues of the state. However, today the
government is trying hard to sort out the problem. The 100th Amendment Act of the Indian
Constitution lays down in detail the protocol between the Governments of Bangladesh and India
in regard to territories and illegal migration. Hence now the conditions has improved a bit.
Assam is an under-developed state right because of the neglect from the Centre. But, with India’s
recent Look East Policy the trade and economy has strengthened a bit. It is expected then that
some positive change comes in the state of Assam. Apart from that this election witnessed
highest number of voting in the history of Assam (Nearly 85%). Hence, now we have to wait for
the result to know what has Assam voted for.

P a g e | 34
BIBLIOGRAPHY
The researcher has consulted following sources to complete the project.
BOOKS:
1. Barua, Birinchi Kumar, A Cultural History of Assam, Guwahati Lawyer’s Book Stall (1st
edition, 1969)
2. Barooah Nirode, David Scott in North East India, Munshiram Manohar Lal Publishers, New
Delhi (1st edition, 2006)
3. Jackson Peter, The Delhi Sultanate: A Political and Military History, Cambridge University
Press (1st edition 2003).
4. Barpujari H.K. (editor), The Comprehensive History of Assam, Jaico Publications (1st edition,
1990)
5. Hussain Delwar, Boundaries Undermined: The Ruins of Progress on the Bangladesh-India

Border, Penguin India, New Delhi.
WEBSITES:
1. http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2015-07-09/news/64243560_1_assam-poor-
infrastructure-skilled-manpower
2. http://online.assam.gov.in/web/guest/revenu
3. http://www.census2011.co.in/census/state/assam.html
4. http://www.abplive.in/over78percentvotescastinassam
5. http://www.firstpost.com/india/floods-cause-havoc-in-assam-displace-nearly-one-lakh-people-
in-state-2748466.html

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CASE STUDY OF THE STATE OF ASSAM: VARIOUS DIMENSIONS

CASE STUDY OF ASSAM (2015-16): VARIOUS DIMENSIONS- RAJ

CHANAKYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, PATNA

BRIEF INFORMATION OF THE STATE:

*Before statehood-Assam Province.

*Governor- Padmanabha Balakrishna Acharya.

*Chief Minister- Tarun Gogoi (INC).

*Legislature-Unicameral (126 seats).

*High Court- Guwahati High Court.

CHANAKYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, PATNA

*Total-78,438 km2 (30,285 sq mi).

3. POPULATION AND GROWTH

*Density-400/km2 (1,000/sq mi).

*HDI-Increase 0.444 (low).

*HDI rank-22nd (2005).

*Song-O Mur Apunar Dex

*Bird-White-winged wood duck

*Flower- Rhynchostylis Retusa

CHANAKYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, PATNA

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:

The researcher has conducted research on following research questions:

Q1. What is the history of Assam?

Q2. What is the present socio-political scenario in Assam?

Q3. Why does this state witness ethnic conflicts in past?

Q4. What is the demography of Assam?

CHANAKYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, PATNA

Boundaries Undermined: The Ruins of Progress on the Bangladesh-India Border by

CHANAKYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, PATNA

CHANAKYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, PATNA

CHANAKYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, PATNA

CHANAKYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, PATNA

METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION:

TOOLS OF DATA COLLECTION:

CHANAKYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, PATNA

The researcher has followed Bluebook Citation [19th edition].

2.1 PRE- HISTORY

2.2 ANCIENT HISTORY

CHANAKYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, PATNA

2.3 MEDIVEAL HISTORY:

CHANAKYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, PATNA

2.4 COLONIAL ERA:

CHANAKYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, PATNA

CHANAKYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, PATNA

2.5 MODERN HISTORY:

CHANAKYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, PATNA

3. PRESENT CONDITION OF ASSAM

CHANAKYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, PATNA

CHANAKYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, PATNA

3.2 GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS:

CHANAKYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, PATNA

CHANAKYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, PATNA

3.4.1 Macro Economy:

According to recent analysis, Assam’s economy is showing signs of improvement. In 2001–02,

Unemployment is one of the major problems of Assam which can be attributed to

CHANAKYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, PATNA

CHANAKYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, PATNA

*Petroleum and natural gas based industries

*Industries based on locally available minerals

*Processing of plantation crops

*Food processing industries

*Chemical and plastic based industries

*Export oriented industries

*Electronic and IT base industries including services sector

*Paper making industries