Patharughat
Context: Twenty five years before the Jallianwallah Bagh massacre, more than a hundred peasants fell to the bullets of the British on January 28, 1894 in Assam.
- The unarmed peasants were protesting against the increase in land revenue levied by the colonial administration, when the military opened fire.
- Today a “martyrs column” stands where the incident took place — Patharughat, a small village in Assam’s Darrang district, 60km northeast of Guwahati.
What led to the Patharughat uprising?
- After the British annexation of Assam in 1826, surveys of the vast lands of the state began.
- On the basis of such surveys, the British began to impose land taxes, much to the resentment of the farmers.
- In 1893, the British government decided to increase agricultural land tax reportedly by 70- 80 per cent.
- Up until then the peasants would pay taxes in kind or provide a service in lieu of cash.
- Across Assam, peasants began protesting the move by organising Raij Mels, or peaceful peoples’ conventions.
- Despite these gatherings being democratic, the British perceived them as “breeding grounds for sedition”.
- So whenever there was a Raij Mel, the British used to come down on it with a heavy hand to disperse them.
- That is what happened on January 28, 1894. “When the British officers were refusing to listen to the farmers’ grievances, things heated up,” there was a lathi charge, followed by an open firing which killed many of the peasants present.”
Why was the incident significant?
- The incident was one of the “most tragic and inspiring episodes in the saga of the indian freedom movement.”
- However, it rarely features in mainstream historical discourse of the freedom struggle even within Assam.
- For the larger Assamese community, Patharughat comes second only to the Battle of Saraighat, when the Ahoms defeated the Mughals in 1671.
- The Patharughat was a peaceful protest and a precursor to the Civil Disobedience movement, which was later propagated by Mahatma Gandhi.”
What about the site today?
- A martyrs column was erected at the site on 28 January, 2001 by the Army and unveiled by SK Sinha, former Governor of Assam.
- Every year on January 28, the government and local people pay respects to the martyrs of the incident (Krishak Swahid Diwas) in an official function.
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