Nellie (Morigaon), July 27: Abdul Matif lost 10 members of his family in the carnage at Nellie in 1983. Twenty-two years have elapsed since then, the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act is gone and Matif has moved on in life without the baggage of history weighing him down.

Ask Matif about the brouhaha over the IM (DT) Act and his response is an unexpected one. ?We feel the scrapping of the act will only improve relations between the majority and minority communities. It was a big stumbling block. It was being used by certain sections to further their political ambitions by influencing the gullible. We are happy with the March 25, 1971, cut-off mark for detection and deportation of foreigners,? he says.

The IM(DT) Act was enacted after over 2,000 men, women and children were butchered in a single day in the sleepy hamlet of Nellie ? then a part of undivided Nagaon district ? in February 1983. Most of the victims were suspected Bangladeshi migrants.Today, Nellie remains remarkably untouched by the Supreme Court?s ruling on the legislation, never mind the fact that most minority organisations feel it is bad news for people like Matif. Afzalur Rahman Choudhury and Nurul Amin, who lost their younger brothers in the massacre, believe residents of Nellie have become mature enough not to be incited by people with vested interests.

Their views are echoed by other residents, who say that development will bring an end to the vote-bank politics practised by political parties.

Inhabited by migrant Muslims, Hindus, Lalung tribals and ethnic Assamese, Nellie has a population of over 50,000. All the residents seem to be concerned about development rather than the repercussions of doing away with the IM(DT) Act. ?The IM(DT) is not an issue here. We are now more concerned about development and peace. We do not want any kind of trouble,? says Choudhury.

Elders of the locality have asked all villagers to report to the police the presence of any outsider who might foment trouble. The residents even ignored the bandh that had been called by a couple of minority organisations in the wake of the apex court?s ruling. ?You know how the situation is nowadays. If I call a bandh tomorrow, people will observe it. It is like that. It was a token bandh,? says Matif with the poise of a wizened man.

Manohar Bordoloi, 35, nods in approval. ?There has been no impact whatsoever here. There is a kind of understanding between all communities which, I am sure, will prevail.?

Personnel manning the Nellie police outpost corroborate the villagers? claims. ?Everything is normal here. You can go around and take a look for yourself. Even the bandh here was by and large token,? one of them says.