Assam CM inaugurates ‘Swahid Smarak’ in Guwahati

• Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma inaugurated ‘Swahid Smarak’ (Martyrs’ Column) in Guwahati commemorating the death of over 860 people during the Assam Movement.

• The CM offered his tribute to the martyrs of the Assam movement on the occasion of ‘Swahid Diwas’ (Martyrs’ Day).

• The foundation stone of the column was laid in 2019 in the Boragaon area in Guwahati and the project has facilities like water bodies, auditorium, a prayer hall, a cycle track and facilities for sound and light show, which will highlight different aspects of the Assam agitation and the state’s history.

• The Assam Movement was a popular movement against illegal immigrants in Assam led by All Assam Student Union (AASU) and All Assam Gana Sangram Parishad (AAGSP) from 1979 to 1985. 

• It was aimed against illegal migrants residing in the state and demanded that the Union government detect, disenfranchise and deport them.

• The six-year-long Assam Agitation culminated with the signing of the Assam Accord in August 1985.

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants.)