June 30 marks the 169th anniversary of the Santhal Hul, one of the earliest peasant uprisings against the British.
Santhal Hul of 1855 was a revolt against imperialism led by four brothers, Sidho, Kanho, Chand, and Bhairav Murmu, along with sisters Phulo and Jhano. June 30 is the 169th anniversary of the beginning of the revolt, one of the first peasant uprisings against British colonial oppression.
The Santhals also fought against the upper castes, zamindars, darogas, and moneylenders, described by the umbrella term ‘diku’, in an attempt to safeguard the economic, cultural, and religious aspects of their lives.
Genesis of the uprising
In 1832, certain areas were delimited as ‘Santhal Pargana’ or ‘Damin-i-Koh’, which comprises present-day Sahibganj, Godda, Dumka, Deoghar, Pakur, and regions of Jamtara, in present-day Jharkhand. The area was allocated to the Santhals displaced from Birbhum, Murshidabad, Bhagalpur, Barabhum, Manbhum, Palamau, and Chhotanagpur, all areas the Bengal Presidency.
While the Santhals were promised settlement and agriculture in Damin-i-Koh, what followed was the repressive practice of land-grabbing and begari (bonded labour) of two types: kamioti and harwahi.
The Murmu brothers, who saw themselves as acting on the Santhal God Thakur Bonga’s divination, led around 60,000 Santhals against the East India Company and engaged in guerrilla warfare that continued for almost six months before being finally crushed on January 3, 1856. More than 15,000 Santhals were killed, and 10,000 villages were laid to waste.
The British hanged Sidhu to death on August 9, 1855, followed by Kanhu in February 1856. The insurrection ended, but the impact it left was everlasting.
The SPT and CNT Acts
The Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act of 1876 (SPT Act) enacted by the British, which prohibits the transfer of Adivasi lands (urban or rural land) to non-Adivasis, was the result of the Hul. The land can only be inherited as per the Act, thus retaining the rights of Santhals to self-govern their land.
The Chhotanagpur Tenancy Act, (CNT Act) enacted by the British in 1908 a result of the Birsa Movement, allows land transfers within the same caste and certain geographical areas with the approval of the District Collector. This Act also restricts the sale of Adivasi and Dalit land, while allowing land transfers between Adivasi individuals from the same police station and Dalits in the same district.
Source: Indian Express, 30-06-24
