Deputy commissioner of Nagaon J. Balaji in the records room on Monday. Picture by Eastern Projections

Nagaon, Aug. 27: Anandaram Dhekial Phukan’s contribution to Assamese literature is unparalleled. But what many do not know is his role as an able administrator. As the first Assamese assistant commissioner in Nagaon, Phukan had once fined an office-bearer 50 annas for smoking inside the toilet. That was on May 19, 1959.

This and many other little known facts of the state’s history are being dug out from the dusty pages of voluminous files tucked away in the “records room” at the Nagaon deputy commissioner's office.

The state government is finally starting a project to preserve the historical documents in a scientific manner.

Nagaon’s history is considered a very important part of the state’s history as some of the most important events took place in the central Assam district during the freedom movement.

Forest and environment minister Rockybul Hussain, who has initiated the project, said many facts about Phulaguri Dhewa, considered the Sepoy Mutiny of Assam, will now be known to the people.

The project took off after a recent visit to the records room — officially called the mahafejkhana — by award-winning author Homen Borgohain.

A source in the deputy commissioner’s office said Borgohain, who was in search of some official documents for a future project, was appalled by the condition of the records room which had become a nest of snakes. The author moved the minister who is a local MLA.

A 14-member committee, headed by deputy commissioner J. Balaji, was formed last week to start the project. The committee has already started cleaning the mahafejkhana and going through the documents. “The next phase will be for decade-wise sorting of the documents. Thereafter, a survey will be carried out and finally all these would be preserved scientifically in a separate room,' Balaji said.

Hussain said except “official secrets”, all other documents may even be published in book form.

Nagaon was made a district in 1832 with Herbert Sconce as the first deputy commissioner.

“We have learnt from the documents that he was an errant English officer whose tough actions frequently annoyed his juniors. He was the person behind the killing of 19 cultivators in Phulaguri,” said additional deputy commissioner P. Rajkhowa, a member of the restoration team.

The mission to preserve these “historical treasures” is the first such initiative in the state.