The Assam Movement (1979–1985) represents one of the most significant political agitations in post-independence India, emerging from anxieties surrounding illegal immigration, demographic transformation, and the preservation of indigenous identity in the northeastern state of Assam. The movement, spearheaded by the All-Assam Students’ Union (AASU) and supported by the All Assam Gana Sangram Parishad (AAGSP), demanded the detection, deletion, and deportation of foreign nationals from electoral rolls and public life. The immediate catalyst was the discovery of suspected illegal immigrants in the voter lists during the 1978 Mangaldoi parliamentary by-election. However, the roots of the crisis lay in a longer history of colonial migration policies and post-partition population movements that significantly altered the demographic composition of Assam.
The agitation lasted six years and involved mass protests, economic blockades, civil disobedience, and tragic episodes of ethnic violence, most notably the Nellie massacre of 1983. The movement culminated in the signing of the Assam Accord in 1985 between the Government of India and the leaders of the agitation. The Accord sought to establish March 25, 1971 as the cut-off date for citizenship and promised safeguards for Assamese cultural and political rights.
This review article examines the historical origins, major phases, and political consequences of the Assam Movement, while also assessing the implementation and long-term relevance of the Assam Accord. It argues that although the movement successfully placed the issue of illegal immigration on the national agenda, the incomplete implementation of the Accord has allowed tensions surrounding citizenship and identity to persist, particularly in the context of contemporary debates surrounding the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).