HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, Dec 9: Referring to martyrs of Assam agitation, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on Congress party alleging that more than 850 youths lost their lives due to misrule of the previous Congress government in the state.
Sarma said that the young people who laid down their lives were victims of “state brutality”, punished for raising a legitimate demand for a “safe and secure Assam”.
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“All that we have seen, youths died for demanding Assam to be made a safer place by deporting illegal immigrants in the state. However, unfortunately, more than 850 lives were lost due to the brutality unleashed by the state administration. At that time, Congress was at the power at both centre and state. The Congress government was solely responsible for the loss of lives during Assam agitation,” Sarma told reporters here.
As the state government has built the Swahid Smarak in Guwahati which is set to be inaugurated on Wednesday, the chief minister asserted that the present state government has corrected a “historical injustice” by giving the martyrs a permanent memorial in the heart of the city.
Sarma said that for decades, successive governments had failed to provide a permanent resting place for the martyrs, despite the central role they played in shaping modern Assam and preserving its cultural identity.
“Their only fault was demanding an end to unchecked infiltration. For years, Assam’s bravehearts were denied the honour they deserved,” he said.
The newly built Swahid Smarak, located in the city’s central precinct, has been conceived as a symbolic space of collective remembrance.
The memorial features inscriptions dedicated to the agitators, along with exhibits chronicling the trajectory of the Assam Movement between 1979 and 1985.
Officials said the monument is intended not only as a tribute but also as an educational site for future generations.
Swahid Divas, observed every December, commemorates the death of first martyr Khargeswar Talukdar in 1979, whose killing galvanised the agitation led by the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU).
Over the decades, the day has evolved into a political marker for various parties, especially the BJP, which has consistently foregrounded the issue of illegal migration in its electoral messaging.
Reiterating his government’s commitment to protecting Assam’s “land, language and culture,” Sarma said the memorial stands as a reminder of the sacrifices made to safeguard the state’s demographic character.
“The Swahid Smarak will stand tall as a testament to their supreme sacrifice. Assam will forever remain indebted,” he said.
