New Delhi: It was 15 February, 1983. A message crackled over the wireless from Zahiruddin Ahmed, then Station House Officer (SHO) of Nagaon police station, to senior officers and nearby stations. It was a plea and a clear warning that something terrible was about to unfold:

“Information received that L/Night about one thousand Assamese of surrounding villages of Nellie with deadly weapons assembled at Nellie by beating of drums. Minority people are in a panic and apprehending attack any moment. Submission for immediate action to maintain peace.”

Three days later, on the morning of 18 February, that warning turned into one of the darkest chapters in Assam’s history. Mobs armed with machetes, spears and guns surrounded Nellie and thirteen nearby villages. Within six hours, nearly 3,000 pe

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