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The Nellie massacre

The Nellie massacre

In 1983, an estimated 3,000 people were massacred in Assam, India

Witness History · BBC World Service

February 25, 202510m 4s

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Show Notes

The Nellie massacre on 18 February 1983 was the worst bloodshed in the country since Indian independence in 1947. It is estimated that 3,000 people died that day.

Bedabrata Lahkar was a journalist working for the Assam Tribune newspaper at the time. He tells Gill Kearsley about the events that led up to the massacre and the devastating scenes he witnessed.

A warning this programme contains descriptions of violence and language that some people may find offensive.

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(Photo: Survivors of the 1983 Assam massacre. Credit: Santosh Basak/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)