Assam to seek CBI probe into deadly July floods in Sivasagar and Charaideo, reversing earlier stand

The Assam cabinet on Tuesday decided to seek a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the causes of the July floods that devastated Sivasagar and Charaideo districts in Upper Assam, a turnaround from the government's earlier refusal to order such a probe.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma told reporters in Guwahati after the meeting that a formal request would be sent within 10 days. "We want the exact cause to come out," he said, adding that it was for the Centre to decide whether the CBI takes up the case.

Competing explanations

The floods, driven by the Dikhow river, swamped Sivasagar, Charaideo and Jorhat in July. At least 106 people died, including 17 children, according to figures cited by the Assam Tribune, while other reports put the state's flood toll for the year slightly higher. Homes, schools, roads, embankments and health centres were badly damaged.

The causes have been disputed for months. In July, Sarma said Assam had too little warning after Nagaland reported a cloudburst in its Mon district only minutes after it happened; the India Meteorological Department later said there had been no cloudburst. In September, the Centre attributed the disaster to continuous heavy rain across Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland and rejected claims that it was man-made.

The Congress has alleged that unchecked illegal mining and administrative failure in the worst-hit districts made the floods worse, and opposition parties submitted a memorandum in September demanding a CBI inquiry. Sarma had rejected that demand in August, saying experts would study the causes. Raijor Dal chief Akhil Gogoi is currently on a 14-day satyagraha seeking better compensation for victims.

Polygamy rule and other decisions

The cabinet also amended the state's service discipline rules so that any government employee found practising polygamy will be dismissed and barred from future government jobs. Sarma said the rule would apply regardless of religion and linked it to the state's Uniform Civil Code law. An October 2023 order already required employees to seek permission before remarrying while a spouse is alive.

Other decisions included approval for a defence industrial corridor on about 2,000 acres and the creation of 15 councils, each headed by a cabinet minister, to monitor welfare schemes such as Orunodoi and Ayushman Bharat and recommend changes based on public feedback.

Why it matters

A CBI probe, if accepted, would be an unusual central inquiry into the causes of a natural disaster. Its findings could feed into wider debates in the Northeast on mining, river management and early warnings between neighbouring states, issues that matter for flood-prone regions across India.