Guwahati: A comprehensive book titled “The Historical Account of the Establishment of Assam University” authored by noted Barak Valley journalist and essayist Bikash Chakraborty, was released on Friday, documenting the struggle and events that led to the university’s establishment.
While expressing gratitude to the author and publisher Diganta Prakashani, members of the organisation ACKHSA criticised Assam University authorities for their continued failure to officially record and publish the institution’s history, and demanded accountability for what they termed a prolonged neglect of historical documentation.
Hilal Uddin Laskar, former principal of Hailakandi S.S. College and chief convener of ACKHSA, said that between 1983 and 1993, under ACKHSA’s leadership, the Barak community, irrespective of religion, carried out a massive united movement. This movement led to the establishment of Assam University in 1994. Many people sacrificed valuable time and faced risks, with several youths injured by police fire.
However, even three decades after its establishment, the university authorities have failed to officially document or publish the institution’s history. Laskar said this was not due to a lack of initiative, noting that a committee formed under the late Professor Subir Kar and headed by former Vice-Chancellor Tapodhir Bhattacharyya had prepared a manuscript and submitted it to the authorities.
He added that following Bhattacharyya’s retirement, the manuscript was repeatedly returned from the press for unexplained reasons, ultimately preventing its publication.
He further said that the absence of an official written history has allowed individuals such as Prashanta Chakraborty to publicly claim that Assam University was the outcome of the Assam Movement, a narrative that, he alleged, is also being promoted by some extremist nationalist groups in the Brahmaputra valley. He claimed that even the university’s official website reflects this incorrect version of events.
According to Laskar, as documented in Bikash Chakraborty’s recently published book, the central government approved a central university for Tezpur without any local agitation, whereas the Barak region witnessed a sustained mass movement for the establishment of Assam University. He expressed hope that the book would receive due recognition from readers and help set the historical record straight.
Another ACKHSA convener, Pankaj Kanti Deb Roy, said the university movement, like the language movement, was one of the most significant milestones in Barak Valley’s history of public protest. He stressed that this history should be known not only to historians but also to citizens across the country. He said that the new generation of students enrolling in or currently studying at the university must be made aware of this legacy, and therefore the history of each university’s establishment should be officially documented and included in foundation courses. Despite such a rich tradition of struggle, he said the repeated delays by Assam University authorities in implementing this initiative warrant accountability.
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He described the continued inaction of the university authorities as highly condemnable, saying it amounted to disrespect and humiliation of the Barak community. He also lauded Bikash Chakraborty’s book as factually comprehensive and an accurate record of the true history, and urged the authorities to include it in the foundation course, which he said would at least partially make amends for their past failures.
