Bengali Language Movement (Barak Valley)

The Bengali Language Movement of Barak Valley was a protest against the decision of the Government of Assam to make Assamese the state's sole official language, even though most Barak Valley residents speak Bengali. About 80% of the valley's residents are ethnic Bengalis,^[1] and the Bengali population in the Barak Valley region consists of both Hindus and Muslims in about equal number, constituting the overwhelming majority of the population. There is also a substantial minority of native tribes and immigrants from other parts of India.

The main incident took place on 19 May 1961 at Silchar railway station in which the Assam police killed 11 ethnic Bengalis.