Guwahati: The Winter Session of the Assam Assembly began on November 25, Monday, with a packed legislative agenda and a wave of protests by Opposition parties, turning the first day into a politically charged one. Several major amendment bills were introduced by cabinet ministers in the presence of Speaker Biswajit Daimary, while multiple Opposition groups staged demonstrations both inside and outside the Assembly premises.
The Assam Prohibition of Polygamy Bill, a major social reform initiative which aims to end polygamy in the state was tabled in the assembly today. The government also introduced the Land Ceiling Act Amendment for tea garden labour lines, which seeks to resume surplus land from tea estates for settlement and welfare of tea garden workers.
Another important legislation was the Prevention of Animal Cruelty Amendment, which proposes allowing traditional Magh Bihu buffalo fights under strict regulation. The Assam District Land Tribunal Bill, 2025, the Modern Autonomous Council Ordinance Bill, and amendments to the Registration (Assam Amendment) Act, 2022 were also presented to streamline administrative processes and land dispute mechanisms.
CM Sarma also laid the report of Justice (retd) T.U. Mehta Commission, which examined the large-scale violence surrounding the 1983 Assembly elections. The government further circulated printed copies of the Tewary Commission report, which also probed the 1983 disturbances and the Nellie massacre.
Even as the Assembly took up the legislative business, Opposition protests escalated across the complex. Raijor Dal chief and Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi staged a sit-in inside the Assembly courtyard, tying a black cloth on his arms and holding placards. He demanded that Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma step down from the Home portfolio and pressed for a CBI investigation into the death of music icon Zubeen Garg, alleging lack of transparency in the ongoing probe.
Simultaneously, AIUDF MLAs protested inside the Assembly campus against eviction drives carried out in different districts. They accused the government of “targeting a particular minority community” and failing to provide rehabilitation for the evicted families. The party also alleged that several people had died during eviction-related incidents, urging immediate intervention.
At the main entrance of the Assembly, Congress MLA Sherman Ali Ahmed held a separate protest, demanding the removal of Deputy Speaker Dr. Numal Momin. He accused the Deputy Speaker of functioning in a biased manner and called for his dismissal from the post.The convergence of legislation and protests created heated ambience beginning to the Winter Session, with issues such as land rights, cultural traditions, administrative reforms, minority welfare, and the demand for justice in Zubeen Garg’s death dominating the day’s discussions.
On the other hand, two opposition MLAs were suspended from the Assam Assembly today following the adoption of a Privilege Committee report that found them guilty of misconduct toward Deputy Speaker Numal Momin. The resolution based on the committee’s findings was moved by parliamentary affairs minister Chandra Mohan Patowary, recommending the suspension of Congress MLA Nurul Huda and Baghbor MLA Sherman Ali Ahmed.