Patharughat: the land of unsung heroes
Mayukh Goswami
January 28, 1894 is an indelible black spot in the history of British rule in
India for the organised massacre at Patharughat in Darrang where about 140
innocent peasants took the bullets on their chest. After 26 years on April 13,
1919, history repeated at North West India with mass killings at Jalianwalabag
in Amritsar, Punjab.
Rule and exploitation were the two main objectives of the British power. They
failed to understand the people, they were going to rule over. The rebates and
exemptions enjoyed by the people of Darrang under Koch-Ahom regime, were
suddenly halted by the British administration to the utter dissatisfaction,
resentment and frustration of the people. In 1832-33 AD the British rule
imposed plough tax at Rs 2 each per annum at Darrang. It continued till 1841.
In 1842 novel land survey was conducted and land was classified into three
categories for fixing revenue rate: (i) Bustee: high land for homestead - Re 1
per Pura (4 Bigha) per annum, (ii) Rupit: Cultivable low land Rs 1.50 per
Pura per annum and (iii) Faringati: high land fit for Rabi crop Re 1 per Pura
per annum.
During the next twenty years, repeated land surveys were conducted and revenue
enhancement continued accordingly. A sense of suspicion and apprehension used
to cripple in the minds of the farmers for such conspirated design of the
British ruler. This feeling spread among the people every where. Finally a
decision was taken that the people as a single united force, would express
their grievances and apprehensions at the office of the Tehsildar of
Patharughat for sympathetic consideration of the administration at the earliest.
On a day in 1868, after seven years of the Phulaguri Dhawa of Nagaon, the first
peasant revolt of Assam, thousand of public from Darrang as per earlier
decision gathered in front of the Patharughat Tehsildars Office to express
their grievances. Apprehending disturbance, AC Comber, the deputy commissioner
of Darrang along with SP and SDO Mangaldai rushed from Tezpur to Patharughat
Tehsal Office. The British administration did not pay considerable attention to
the public resentment, causing excitement among the gathering. The agitated
gathering was advancing towards the White Sahibs to press their grievances.
Terrified and bewildered, the Sahibs brought themselves back into the Dak
Bungalow. The advancing crowd shouted at them, some one even proposed to set
the Dak bungalow ablaze but the leader could control the situation. The
gathering dispersed quietly with more determination.
Twenty five years elapsed without any notable disturbance in the district. In
1893 the then Chief Commissioner of Assam, Williamson Ward took the initiative
to raise the revenue. This made the public irked and the volcano of stored
unsteadiness erupted and the public firmly settled that revenue would not be
cleared until an acceptable solution was found out. On January 26, 1894, in
Patharughat Raijmel, it was reaffirmed that revenue would not be paid at the
enhanced rate at any cost. Tehsildar Bhabani Charan Bhattacharya (Tezpur) of
Patharughat Circle entreated the huge gathering to wait till January 28 when
the deputy commissioner of Darang, Anderson would be available for hearing the
public grievances directly.
In the meantime the Government received intelligence report about the
preparation of agitations at a regular basis. To face the situation, security
measures were taken up in a cautious and compact manner. On the report of
Tehsildar of Patharughat, it was decided at the high level that along with the
deputy commissioner of Darrang SP Darrang, Barrington and SDO of Mangaldoi,
Ramson would proceed to Patharughat on January 28 with armed forces.
January 28 was a normal weekly bazaar day. Public began to throng the open
field in front of the Dak Bangalow from the early morning. At noon, the field
became just like a sea of people, mostly comprising poor farmers, in their
usual scanty wearing, bare footed, bare handed. At about noon the trio of
White Sahibs arrived at Patharughat on horse back along with a dozen of armed
white soldiers and 19 native police men marched to Patharughat. Straightway
they entered the Dak Bungalow, as they were greeted with slogans by the crowd.
The Tehsildar with his staff and the Umedar Dhajar Ali Fandi, waited outside,
not being taken into confidence, simply remained as silent on lookers. On the
otherside, not being taken into confidence, simply remained as silent on
lockers. On the otherside, the patience of the public was tested as after long
expectation the awaiting crowd was faced by the Sahibs surrounded by armed
guards. The Deputy Commissioner, Anderson straightly refused to
pay heed to the public complaints, saying that they were not the authority to
make changes in the rates of revenue fixed by the queen of England. As the
Sahibs were about to return to the Dak Bungalow, the bewildered mass, at its
wits end, uttered, If so, what is the need to come down to Patharughat
covering long distances. Then arguments and counter arguments followed. The
aggrieved crowd was stepping towards the Sahibs. The bodyguards stopped them
roughly. More irritated, the peasants continued to proceed. At this, the
Superintendent of Police, Barrington gestured to the armed police force. The
riflemen started hitting in-discriminately. Some say Thoga Baidya of Biahpara
or Fukolu Sheikh of Athiabari somehow availed a chance to hit on the head of
the Police super leading to bleeding from the wound. This provoked the enraged
DC to order Hat Jao, Bhag Jao, Fire. Triggers were pressed instantly,
peasants in front fell down dead, seriously injured heads crushed,
belly bursted, limbs torn apart, bodies smeared with blood, pain and unrest
every where. Undaunted, the crowd also advanced with whatever available in hand
clod, bamboo roots, sticks, branches of tree and used these as missiles on
the gunmen. They met the same fate as their fore runners. None retreated but
took the bullets on the chests. Nobody knew how many of them died, rotting to
be consumed by jackals and vultures. None was allowed to attend the dead or
wounded to identify and to take care of. For those who escaped but were
partners of the protest, those who returned from hospital, fined and jailed
were reluctant to reveal the fact for fear of life. Later it came to light that
the number of deaths stood around 140 and that of the injured was at least 150.
Their martyrdom is the bench mark in the history of struggle for freedom of
India. Their names should adorn the pages of history in golden letters. But
unfortunately most of the people of our State, not to speak of the country and
the world, are still in the darkness about the Patharughat massacre unlike the
incident at Jalianwalabag in Punjab which got wide publicity.
Assam Tribune Editorial 28.01.08
---------------------------------
Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now.
_______________________________________________
assam mailing list
[email protected]
http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
