74 SOCIAL SCIENTIST and the Assamese public. The committee specially appointed by the government to look into the immigration problem as it took a serious turn with rapidly increasing number of Muslims, commented: "It is not only the landholders and leading men among the immigrants who have been convicted of making money out of newcomers, but we heard of many instances of Assamese speculators also, especially in the earlier days in Nowgong, who made large sums of money by selling lands that they had either taken up specially for that purpose or had not taken up at all. This specis of corruption, moreover, was not found to be practised only by tl-^ non-official public and the Deputy Commissioner, Nowgong, was able to give us many instances of corruption among the Land Record Staff in their dealing with the settling of land . . . and giving pattas . . . /)27 Thus it would appear that many of these immigrants fled from the frying pan into the ^ fire and in their attempt to escape from difficulties and oppression at home, became a prey to them in another state. Finally, a time soon arrived when, because of their increasing numerical strength, the All India Muslim League's demand for Pakistan and politicization of the issue of immigration, the basically economic influx was transformed into a matter of racial and communal conflicts. The inevitable result of this transformation was the legacy of mutual suspicion in post-independence days and continuation of the legacy down to this day. M KAR 1 John Maccosh, Topography of As^arn, Calcutta, GH Huttinann,l827, Reprint, Delhi, 1975, pp8-9. 2 K L Baruah, Early Viistory of Kamatnpn, Gauhati, Lawyer's Book Stall, 1966, Second Edition, p 136. • Ibid, p 155. 4 Ibid,p\75. S K Bhuyan (ed), Tungkhun^ia Buranji, Gauhati, Department of Historical and Antiquarian Studies 1968, p XVIII. 6 E A Gait, A History of Assamm, Thacker Spink and Go, Calcutta, 1926, p 117. 7 Jadunath Sarkar, A Short History of Awanqzib, Calcutta, M C Sarkar and Sons, 1954, Second Edition, p 122. 8 S K Bhayan, op cif, P XXX. 9 N N Acharya, The History of Medici al Assam, Gauhati, Dutta Baruah and Co, 1966 p 135. 10 HK Barpujari, Assam in the Days of the Company, Gauhati, Lawyer's Book Stall, 1963, Fist Edition, p 264. 11 Physical and Political Geography of the Province of Assam, Shillong, 1896, p 80. 12 Ibid, p 78. 1! D Datta, Cachar District Records, Silchar, D Datta. 1969. pp 178-79; Report of Waste Land Survey {Technical) Committee, Shillong, 1968, p 10. ^ S K Bhuyan, p XXX.