Freedom Movement of Jharkhand | Jharkhand State (JPSC) PSC: Preparation - JPSC (Jharkhand) PDF Download

 Page 1


Amar Ujala Publications Jharkhand : General Knowledge
FREEDOM MOVEMENT OF
JHARKHAND
The rule of the British led to the many uprising in the form of the, Chero
revolt, the kol insurrection the rebellion of Bhumij, the Santhals the Hos and the
movement of Tana Bhagat and the first was of Indian independence against the
alien rule took place during the 18
th 
& 19
th 
centuries. Mahatma Gandhi took the
leadership in 20
th
 century Under Gandhi the movement spread all over the
nation.
The kol uprising of 1831-32 was against the oppression of non tribal
merchants, Zamindars, contractors, Raja's agents and complex administrative
machinery.
After the Kol uprising, Ranchi witnessed the Bhumij revolt (1832-33) under
Ganga Narain, which is also known as ‘Ganga Narain Hangama’. Ganga Narain
was killed on February 7, 1837 and the Bhumij Revolt came to an end.
The 1857 revolt engulfed various areas of Jharkhand. It really tested the
British might at Ranchi. The sepoys of Ramgarh Battalion mutinied against the
British under the leadership of Madho Singh. The sepoys of Doranda followed
suit under the guidance of Mangal Pande. The Ranchi Revolt had the support
of Vishwanath Shahdeo and Pande Ganpat Rao. Ultimately the British government
crushed the Revolt of 1857 but the people of the area never reconciled to the
alien rule.
Even before the rise of the Birsa Movement, Ranchi witnessed the Sardari
agitation, which was agrarian in character. By the beginning of 1887, the movement
had assumed considerable dimensions. Many of the Mundas and the Oraons
refused to pay rent to their landlords and they fought for the restoration of
freedom to the tribal people.
The freedom fighters of Bengal also contributed in Jharkhand. Nirmal Chandra
Banerjee of Hajari Bagh took one of the initiatives in this direction in 1913 when
he pasted the handbills concerning freedom struggle at various places. Jivan
Christo Rai also brought such handbills from 24-Parganas to Giridih. Some of the
students of St. Columba College also joined this movement. One such student
was Ram Vinod Singh who was taken into custody by the British authority. He
was later given the title of ‘Jatin Bagha’.
Ranchi also became one of the main centres of revolutionaries. Ganesh
Chandra Ghosh was leading them. These revolutionaries were in close contact
with their counter part in Bengal. Sachindra Kumar Sen of Belurmath (Howrah)
came to Ranchi and stayed for same time in Doranda. Another revolutionary
Rajat Nath Rai had come to Hazaribagh and spent some time there. Hemant
Kumar Bose was another member of Bengal group who had come to Ranchi.
Page 2


Amar Ujala Publications Jharkhand : General Knowledge
FREEDOM MOVEMENT OF
JHARKHAND
The rule of the British led to the many uprising in the form of the, Chero
revolt, the kol insurrection the rebellion of Bhumij, the Santhals the Hos and the
movement of Tana Bhagat and the first was of Indian independence against the
alien rule took place during the 18
th 
& 19
th 
centuries. Mahatma Gandhi took the
leadership in 20
th
 century Under Gandhi the movement spread all over the
nation.
The kol uprising of 1831-32 was against the oppression of non tribal
merchants, Zamindars, contractors, Raja's agents and complex administrative
machinery.
After the Kol uprising, Ranchi witnessed the Bhumij revolt (1832-33) under
Ganga Narain, which is also known as ‘Ganga Narain Hangama’. Ganga Narain
was killed on February 7, 1837 and the Bhumij Revolt came to an end.
The 1857 revolt engulfed various areas of Jharkhand. It really tested the
British might at Ranchi. The sepoys of Ramgarh Battalion mutinied against the
British under the leadership of Madho Singh. The sepoys of Doranda followed
suit under the guidance of Mangal Pande. The Ranchi Revolt had the support
of Vishwanath Shahdeo and Pande Ganpat Rao. Ultimately the British government
crushed the Revolt of 1857 but the people of the area never reconciled to the
alien rule.
Even before the rise of the Birsa Movement, Ranchi witnessed the Sardari
agitation, which was agrarian in character. By the beginning of 1887, the movement
had assumed considerable dimensions. Many of the Mundas and the Oraons
refused to pay rent to their landlords and they fought for the restoration of
freedom to the tribal people.
The freedom fighters of Bengal also contributed in Jharkhand. Nirmal Chandra
Banerjee of Hajari Bagh took one of the initiatives in this direction in 1913 when
he pasted the handbills concerning freedom struggle at various places. Jivan
Christo Rai also brought such handbills from 24-Parganas to Giridih. Some of the
students of St. Columba College also joined this movement. One such student
was Ram Vinod Singh who was taken into custody by the British authority. He
was later given the title of ‘Jatin Bagha’.
Ranchi also became one of the main centres of revolutionaries. Ganesh
Chandra Ghosh was leading them. These revolutionaries were in close contact
with their counter part in Bengal. Sachindra Kumar Sen of Belurmath (Howrah)
came to Ranchi and stayed for same time in Doranda. Another revolutionary
Rajat Nath Rai had come to Hazaribagh and spent some time there. Hemant
Kumar Bose was another member of Bengal group who had come to Ranchi.
In 1920, The Non cooperation movement stirred in Ranchi. Most of the
student started participatiny in the movement initially. The movement was limited
to non-tribal only but gradually it spread to tribal also. In between Rajendra
Prasad also visited in Jharkhand for support of movement.
The flames of freedom struggle had engulfed Hazaribagh. St. Columba College
had become the main centre of freedom struggle in the district. Many student
of this college left the study and joined the movement against the British rule.
As already stated above Ram Vinod Singh was one of the students leader who
was nicknamed ‘Jatin Bagha.’ The movement also spread to Singhbhum where
many prominent revolutionaries of Bengal had came and worked for its spread.
Some of them were connected with this Revolutionaries Party of Germany and
Japan. Some of the employees of Tata also became very active in this movement.
The government became so worried that it directed the company officials to
verify antecedents of new recruits before confirming them in employment.
Gandhi came to Ranchi in June 1917 at the invitation of Lt. Edward Gait He
was also invited to visit Ranchi by Shyam Krishna Sahay in London. The latter
was an important freedom fighter of Hazaribagh. Gandhi came here from Motihari
and stayed for 21 days. During this period, he held several meeting at a lot of
place. After that he went to champaran.
There were two places Chaibasa and Jamshedpur where activists of Hindustan
Association were staying . Kakori's culprits like Asfaquallah Khan, Prafull
Chandra Ghosh and Jyoti Pant Rai took refuge in Chotanagpur for some time.
Inspite of these other important leader who played a very important role
after Mahatma Gandhi in Jharkhand was Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. He was
house arrested for three year due to anti British activity in August 1917. He
founded Anjuman Islamia and Madarsa Islamia. Both these institutions opened
in Ranchi and they are still working. Many restrictions were imposed during the
prison days of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. Many visitors were restrained from
meeting him.
In 1920, Congress committee was organised in Ranchi in Palamu. The
committee was constituted as per the direction of the Congress. The president
of the committee was Sher Mohammed Hassan. Bindeswari Pathak was nominated
minister and its treasurer was Nomi Lal Arya, Later on the same committee
became the Congress Committee. A big meeting of the Congress party was
organized in Daltonganj on October 10, 1920 under the leadership of C.F . Andrews.
People participated on a very large scale in this meeting. This meeting also
decided to stretch the Boycott and Non Cooperation Movement particularly
school and colleges. Similar meeting was also concluded in Ranchi, Itki, Ghaghra,
Ormanjhi, Kokar, Tamar, Gumla, Bundu, Doranda and Karra in 1921. A special
session of Congress was organized in Calcutta in 1920. Many important leaders
from Jharkhand took part in the meeting and requested Gandhi to launch Non
Cooperation Movement and the boycott of the foreign goods. Meanwhile
Mahatma Gandhi came in contact with the Tana Bhagats of Jharkhand who
Page 3


Amar Ujala Publications Jharkhand : General Knowledge
FREEDOM MOVEMENT OF
JHARKHAND
The rule of the British led to the many uprising in the form of the, Chero
revolt, the kol insurrection the rebellion of Bhumij, the Santhals the Hos and the
movement of Tana Bhagat and the first was of Indian independence against the
alien rule took place during the 18
th 
& 19
th 
centuries. Mahatma Gandhi took the
leadership in 20
th
 century Under Gandhi the movement spread all over the
nation.
The kol uprising of 1831-32 was against the oppression of non tribal
merchants, Zamindars, contractors, Raja's agents and complex administrative
machinery.
After the Kol uprising, Ranchi witnessed the Bhumij revolt (1832-33) under
Ganga Narain, which is also known as ‘Ganga Narain Hangama’. Ganga Narain
was killed on February 7, 1837 and the Bhumij Revolt came to an end.
The 1857 revolt engulfed various areas of Jharkhand. It really tested the
British might at Ranchi. The sepoys of Ramgarh Battalion mutinied against the
British under the leadership of Madho Singh. The sepoys of Doranda followed
suit under the guidance of Mangal Pande. The Ranchi Revolt had the support
of Vishwanath Shahdeo and Pande Ganpat Rao. Ultimately the British government
crushed the Revolt of 1857 but the people of the area never reconciled to the
alien rule.
Even before the rise of the Birsa Movement, Ranchi witnessed the Sardari
agitation, which was agrarian in character. By the beginning of 1887, the movement
had assumed considerable dimensions. Many of the Mundas and the Oraons
refused to pay rent to their landlords and they fought for the restoration of
freedom to the tribal people.
The freedom fighters of Bengal also contributed in Jharkhand. Nirmal Chandra
Banerjee of Hajari Bagh took one of the initiatives in this direction in 1913 when
he pasted the handbills concerning freedom struggle at various places. Jivan
Christo Rai also brought such handbills from 24-Parganas to Giridih. Some of the
students of St. Columba College also joined this movement. One such student
was Ram Vinod Singh who was taken into custody by the British authority. He
was later given the title of ‘Jatin Bagha’.
Ranchi also became one of the main centres of revolutionaries. Ganesh
Chandra Ghosh was leading them. These revolutionaries were in close contact
with their counter part in Bengal. Sachindra Kumar Sen of Belurmath (Howrah)
came to Ranchi and stayed for same time in Doranda. Another revolutionary
Rajat Nath Rai had come to Hazaribagh and spent some time there. Hemant
Kumar Bose was another member of Bengal group who had come to Ranchi.
In 1920, The Non cooperation movement stirred in Ranchi. Most of the
student started participatiny in the movement initially. The movement was limited
to non-tribal only but gradually it spread to tribal also. In between Rajendra
Prasad also visited in Jharkhand for support of movement.
The flames of freedom struggle had engulfed Hazaribagh. St. Columba College
had become the main centre of freedom struggle in the district. Many student
of this college left the study and joined the movement against the British rule.
As already stated above Ram Vinod Singh was one of the students leader who
was nicknamed ‘Jatin Bagha.’ The movement also spread to Singhbhum where
many prominent revolutionaries of Bengal had came and worked for its spread.
Some of them were connected with this Revolutionaries Party of Germany and
Japan. Some of the employees of Tata also became very active in this movement.
The government became so worried that it directed the company officials to
verify antecedents of new recruits before confirming them in employment.
Gandhi came to Ranchi in June 1917 at the invitation of Lt. Edward Gait He
was also invited to visit Ranchi by Shyam Krishna Sahay in London. The latter
was an important freedom fighter of Hazaribagh. Gandhi came here from Motihari
and stayed for 21 days. During this period, he held several meeting at a lot of
place. After that he went to champaran.
There were two places Chaibasa and Jamshedpur where activists of Hindustan
Association were staying . Kakori's culprits like Asfaquallah Khan, Prafull
Chandra Ghosh and Jyoti Pant Rai took refuge in Chotanagpur for some time.
Inspite of these other important leader who played a very important role
after Mahatma Gandhi in Jharkhand was Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. He was
house arrested for three year due to anti British activity in August 1917. He
founded Anjuman Islamia and Madarsa Islamia. Both these institutions opened
in Ranchi and they are still working. Many restrictions were imposed during the
prison days of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. Many visitors were restrained from
meeting him.
In 1920, Congress committee was organised in Ranchi in Palamu. The
committee was constituted as per the direction of the Congress. The president
of the committee was Sher Mohammed Hassan. Bindeswari Pathak was nominated
minister and its treasurer was Nomi Lal Arya, Later on the same committee
became the Congress Committee. A big meeting of the Congress party was
organized in Daltonganj on October 10, 1920 under the leadership of C.F . Andrews.
People participated on a very large scale in this meeting. This meeting also
decided to stretch the Boycott and Non Cooperation Movement particularly
school and colleges. Similar meeting was also concluded in Ranchi, Itki, Ghaghra,
Ormanjhi, Kokar, Tamar, Gumla, Bundu, Doranda and Karra in 1921. A special
session of Congress was organized in Calcutta in 1920. Many important leaders
from Jharkhand took part in the meeting and requested Gandhi to launch Non
Cooperation Movement and the boycott of the foreign goods. Meanwhile
Mahatma Gandhi came in contact with the Tana Bhagats of Jharkhand who
subsequently became his followers. The Tana Bhagats under the leadership of
Sibu and Maya became very active in the freedom movement. They adopted
Satyagraha Movement and courted arrest. His role become so alarming that
British seized their property.
The Congress Party launched the membership drive in Palamu. About three
thousand persons became members of Congress Party during this drive.
Meanwhile many important leaders from Patna visited different parts of Palamu
such as Hussainabad, (Garhwa, Bhawanathpur, Barwadih, Lesligunj, Panki, Patan,
and Manatu etc. Meetings were organized in these places, which gave momentum
to the freedom movement in Jharkhand.
In Japla, Panki and Dalton, public meeting were organised in 1921. Hence,
leader laid emphasis on Khadi, Swadeshi, and Prohibtion, etc. During 1921
several meetings were held to propagate the use of Charkha and Khadi, the
removal of untouchability, boycott of foreign goods and liquor at different places
like Panki, Japla and others. Manindra Nath Swami of Varanashi Yog Ashram
addressed public meeting in Daltonganj on January 7th, 1922
Due to Non Cooperation Movement Shnghbhum was also inspired. A meeting
was held in Golmuri ground of Jamshedpur on 5
th
, 6
th
, 8
th
 and 9
th
 Feb. 1921.
Harishankar V yasji of Kathiawar who was a disciple of Mahatma Gandhi addressed
all these meetings. There was another meeting in Chaibasa on 13th March 1921.
Usman Ali, Bibhuti Bhawan Banerjee and Ram Chander Shahi addressed the
meeting. Complete strike was observed in Jamshedpur on 15
th
 March. Three years
later, the tribes of Singhbhum decided not to give ‘hat’ tax. Vishnu Mahuri led
this anti tax movement. The Singhbhum Congress prevailed played a dominant
role in the whole district.
Ranchi remained the epicenter of the Non-Cooperation Movement in entire
Chotanagpur. Many meetings were held in Lohardagga, Ranchi, Senha, Madhukam,
Itki, Ghaghra. Ormanjhi, Kokar, Tamar, Gumla and Bundu etc. in 1920-21. Leaders
like Gulab Tiwari, Maulvi Usman and Swami Bishwanand spoke on these occasions.
The annual Pinjrapol celebration was held in the month of November 1921.
Padamraj Jain, Bholanath Varman, Maulvi Jakaria, Abdur Rajak and Sunder Dutt
gave their speeches and spoke particularly on Non-Cooperation and Prohibition.
The tribes were attracted on a large scale through the efforts of Tahal Brahmachari,
Gulab Tiwari, and Maulvi Usman.
Under the leadership of Bajrang Sahay the Non Cooperation Movement
geered up. A large number of employees, students, lawyers participated in the
movement and left their jobs. The District Congress Commitee of Hazaribagh
was formed in 1920. During 1921, no of meetings were held to propagate the use
of Charkha, Khadi, removal of untouchability and boycott of foreign goods and
liquor at different places.
Mahatma Gandhi toured Hazaribagh in 1925 and addressed meetings at
Ramgarh and Mandu. The district responded well to the call of Bapu. Khadi and
Page 4


Amar Ujala Publications Jharkhand : General Knowledge
FREEDOM MOVEMENT OF
JHARKHAND
The rule of the British led to the many uprising in the form of the, Chero
revolt, the kol insurrection the rebellion of Bhumij, the Santhals the Hos and the
movement of Tana Bhagat and the first was of Indian independence against the
alien rule took place during the 18
th 
& 19
th 
centuries. Mahatma Gandhi took the
leadership in 20
th
 century Under Gandhi the movement spread all over the
nation.
The kol uprising of 1831-32 was against the oppression of non tribal
merchants, Zamindars, contractors, Raja's agents and complex administrative
machinery.
After the Kol uprising, Ranchi witnessed the Bhumij revolt (1832-33) under
Ganga Narain, which is also known as ‘Ganga Narain Hangama’. Ganga Narain
was killed on February 7, 1837 and the Bhumij Revolt came to an end.
The 1857 revolt engulfed various areas of Jharkhand. It really tested the
British might at Ranchi. The sepoys of Ramgarh Battalion mutinied against the
British under the leadership of Madho Singh. The sepoys of Doranda followed
suit under the guidance of Mangal Pande. The Ranchi Revolt had the support
of Vishwanath Shahdeo and Pande Ganpat Rao. Ultimately the British government
crushed the Revolt of 1857 but the people of the area never reconciled to the
alien rule.
Even before the rise of the Birsa Movement, Ranchi witnessed the Sardari
agitation, which was agrarian in character. By the beginning of 1887, the movement
had assumed considerable dimensions. Many of the Mundas and the Oraons
refused to pay rent to their landlords and they fought for the restoration of
freedom to the tribal people.
The freedom fighters of Bengal also contributed in Jharkhand. Nirmal Chandra
Banerjee of Hajari Bagh took one of the initiatives in this direction in 1913 when
he pasted the handbills concerning freedom struggle at various places. Jivan
Christo Rai also brought such handbills from 24-Parganas to Giridih. Some of the
students of St. Columba College also joined this movement. One such student
was Ram Vinod Singh who was taken into custody by the British authority. He
was later given the title of ‘Jatin Bagha’.
Ranchi also became one of the main centres of revolutionaries. Ganesh
Chandra Ghosh was leading them. These revolutionaries were in close contact
with their counter part in Bengal. Sachindra Kumar Sen of Belurmath (Howrah)
came to Ranchi and stayed for same time in Doranda. Another revolutionary
Rajat Nath Rai had come to Hazaribagh and spent some time there. Hemant
Kumar Bose was another member of Bengal group who had come to Ranchi.
In 1920, The Non cooperation movement stirred in Ranchi. Most of the
student started participatiny in the movement initially. The movement was limited
to non-tribal only but gradually it spread to tribal also. In between Rajendra
Prasad also visited in Jharkhand for support of movement.
The flames of freedom struggle had engulfed Hazaribagh. St. Columba College
had become the main centre of freedom struggle in the district. Many student
of this college left the study and joined the movement against the British rule.
As already stated above Ram Vinod Singh was one of the students leader who
was nicknamed ‘Jatin Bagha.’ The movement also spread to Singhbhum where
many prominent revolutionaries of Bengal had came and worked for its spread.
Some of them were connected with this Revolutionaries Party of Germany and
Japan. Some of the employees of Tata also became very active in this movement.
The government became so worried that it directed the company officials to
verify antecedents of new recruits before confirming them in employment.
Gandhi came to Ranchi in June 1917 at the invitation of Lt. Edward Gait He
was also invited to visit Ranchi by Shyam Krishna Sahay in London. The latter
was an important freedom fighter of Hazaribagh. Gandhi came here from Motihari
and stayed for 21 days. During this period, he held several meeting at a lot of
place. After that he went to champaran.
There were two places Chaibasa and Jamshedpur where activists of Hindustan
Association were staying . Kakori's culprits like Asfaquallah Khan, Prafull
Chandra Ghosh and Jyoti Pant Rai took refuge in Chotanagpur for some time.
Inspite of these other important leader who played a very important role
after Mahatma Gandhi in Jharkhand was Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. He was
house arrested for three year due to anti British activity in August 1917. He
founded Anjuman Islamia and Madarsa Islamia. Both these institutions opened
in Ranchi and they are still working. Many restrictions were imposed during the
prison days of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. Many visitors were restrained from
meeting him.
In 1920, Congress committee was organised in Ranchi in Palamu. The
committee was constituted as per the direction of the Congress. The president
of the committee was Sher Mohammed Hassan. Bindeswari Pathak was nominated
minister and its treasurer was Nomi Lal Arya, Later on the same committee
became the Congress Committee. A big meeting of the Congress party was
organized in Daltonganj on October 10, 1920 under the leadership of C.F . Andrews.
People participated on a very large scale in this meeting. This meeting also
decided to stretch the Boycott and Non Cooperation Movement particularly
school and colleges. Similar meeting was also concluded in Ranchi, Itki, Ghaghra,
Ormanjhi, Kokar, Tamar, Gumla, Bundu, Doranda and Karra in 1921. A special
session of Congress was organized in Calcutta in 1920. Many important leaders
from Jharkhand took part in the meeting and requested Gandhi to launch Non
Cooperation Movement and the boycott of the foreign goods. Meanwhile
Mahatma Gandhi came in contact with the Tana Bhagats of Jharkhand who
subsequently became his followers. The Tana Bhagats under the leadership of
Sibu and Maya became very active in the freedom movement. They adopted
Satyagraha Movement and courted arrest. His role become so alarming that
British seized their property.
The Congress Party launched the membership drive in Palamu. About three
thousand persons became members of Congress Party during this drive.
Meanwhile many important leaders from Patna visited different parts of Palamu
such as Hussainabad, (Garhwa, Bhawanathpur, Barwadih, Lesligunj, Panki, Patan,
and Manatu etc. Meetings were organized in these places, which gave momentum
to the freedom movement in Jharkhand.
In Japla, Panki and Dalton, public meeting were organised in 1921. Hence,
leader laid emphasis on Khadi, Swadeshi, and Prohibtion, etc. During 1921
several meetings were held to propagate the use of Charkha and Khadi, the
removal of untouchability, boycott of foreign goods and liquor at different places
like Panki, Japla and others. Manindra Nath Swami of Varanashi Yog Ashram
addressed public meeting in Daltonganj on January 7th, 1922
Due to Non Cooperation Movement Shnghbhum was also inspired. A meeting
was held in Golmuri ground of Jamshedpur on 5
th
, 6
th
, 8
th
 and 9
th
 Feb. 1921.
Harishankar V yasji of Kathiawar who was a disciple of Mahatma Gandhi addressed
all these meetings. There was another meeting in Chaibasa on 13th March 1921.
Usman Ali, Bibhuti Bhawan Banerjee and Ram Chander Shahi addressed the
meeting. Complete strike was observed in Jamshedpur on 15
th
 March. Three years
later, the tribes of Singhbhum decided not to give ‘hat’ tax. Vishnu Mahuri led
this anti tax movement. The Singhbhum Congress prevailed played a dominant
role in the whole district.
Ranchi remained the epicenter of the Non-Cooperation Movement in entire
Chotanagpur. Many meetings were held in Lohardagga, Ranchi, Senha, Madhukam,
Itki, Ghaghra. Ormanjhi, Kokar, Tamar, Gumla and Bundu etc. in 1920-21. Leaders
like Gulab Tiwari, Maulvi Usman and Swami Bishwanand spoke on these occasions.
The annual Pinjrapol celebration was held in the month of November 1921.
Padamraj Jain, Bholanath Varman, Maulvi Jakaria, Abdur Rajak and Sunder Dutt
gave their speeches and spoke particularly on Non-Cooperation and Prohibition.
The tribes were attracted on a large scale through the efforts of Tahal Brahmachari,
Gulab Tiwari, and Maulvi Usman.
Under the leadership of Bajrang Sahay the Non Cooperation Movement
geered up. A large number of employees, students, lawyers participated in the
movement and left their jobs. The District Congress Commitee of Hazaribagh
was formed in 1920. During 1921, no of meetings were held to propagate the use
of Charkha, Khadi, removal of untouchability and boycott of foreign goods and
liquor at different places.
Mahatma Gandhi toured Hazaribagh in 1925 and addressed meetings at
Ramgarh and Mandu. The district responded well to the call of Bapu. Khadi and
Charkha became the symbols of freedom struggle. Meanwhile K.B.Sahay became
very active and addressed meetings at Chatra, Gomia, Dhnwar, etc in 1929.
Hazaribagh also participated very actively in the Civil Disobedience
Movement. The British government pursued a policy of ruthless suppression
against the participants of the movement. Meetings and processions were forcibly
dispersed. The Congress leaders were arrested and sent to jails. On December
14, 1930, Rajendra Prasad was released from Hazaribagh jail on the expiry of his
full year term of six months imprisonment.
Non cooperation Movement had to be withdrew in 1922 due to the Chauri
Chaura incident. Immediately after the withdrawal of the Non-Cooperation
Movement in 1922, Swaraj Party of Pro-Changers in the Congress came into
being. Its leaders were C.R. Das and Motilal Nehru. The new development also
affected Hazaribagh where Krishna Ballabh Sahay became the candidate of
Swaraj Party.
In August 1925, Gandhi went to Jamshedpur at the invitation of C.F . Andrews
and stayed there for two days. J.R.D. Tata welcomed him warmly in the steel city.
On 8th August, the Indian Association of the city hosted a party in his honour.
Then Gandhi went to Chaibasa through Chakradharpur. He came back to Ranchi
after holding a meeting there. Rajendra Prasad, Subhash Chandra Bose, Jawaharlal
Nehru, V.V. Giri and Abdul Bari also visited Jamshedpur to give fillip to the
freedom movement.
Gandhi violated the salt law by preparing salt on 6
th
  April, 1930 Many
peoples broke the salt law of fifty places by making salt. The British  government
tried very hard to crush the movement Many freedom fighters were imprisoned
and their properties were damaged badly by the police.
The movement took place in many parts of Jharkhand. There were hartals,
strikes and demonstrations in Ranchi, Silli, Gumla, Chutia, Kuru, Lohardagga,
Bero, Palamu, etc. On 8th April 1930, Nagarmal Modi held a public meeting in
Chutia. Similarly meetings were organized at Khunti and Kuru. Strikes,
demonstrations, processions and boycott Continued in Jharkhand.
The British government continued with the repressive policy, for people of
Jharkhand, In 1930, about 137 freedom fighters were imprisoned in Hazaribagh,
The death of Mopna Manjhi and Ketan Mehta in Patna Camp Jail caused
widespread protests, in Jharkhand Meetings were held in Chatra in 1936 where
prominent leaders like Rajendra Prasad, Sri Krishna Singh, Ram Dayalu Singh and
Mathura Prasad were given speeches at meetings in Chatra.
The people of Singhbhum also defied law and order during Civil Disobedience
Movement. The employees of the steel city and about 400 Sikhs joined the
movement. The people of Chakradharpur protested by cutting trees in the forests.
The death sentence of Bhagat Singh further stimulated the movement. Jamshedpur
observed complete strike on 25th March 1931 against the hanging of Bhagat
Singh.
Page 5


Amar Ujala Publications Jharkhand : General Knowledge
FREEDOM MOVEMENT OF
JHARKHAND
The rule of the British led to the many uprising in the form of the, Chero
revolt, the kol insurrection the rebellion of Bhumij, the Santhals the Hos and the
movement of Tana Bhagat and the first was of Indian independence against the
alien rule took place during the 18
th 
& 19
th 
centuries. Mahatma Gandhi took the
leadership in 20
th
 century Under Gandhi the movement spread all over the
nation.
The kol uprising of 1831-32 was against the oppression of non tribal
merchants, Zamindars, contractors, Raja's agents and complex administrative
machinery.
After the Kol uprising, Ranchi witnessed the Bhumij revolt (1832-33) under
Ganga Narain, which is also known as ‘Ganga Narain Hangama’. Ganga Narain
was killed on February 7, 1837 and the Bhumij Revolt came to an end.
The 1857 revolt engulfed various areas of Jharkhand. It really tested the
British might at Ranchi. The sepoys of Ramgarh Battalion mutinied against the
British under the leadership of Madho Singh. The sepoys of Doranda followed
suit under the guidance of Mangal Pande. The Ranchi Revolt had the support
of Vishwanath Shahdeo and Pande Ganpat Rao. Ultimately the British government
crushed the Revolt of 1857 but the people of the area never reconciled to the
alien rule.
Even before the rise of the Birsa Movement, Ranchi witnessed the Sardari
agitation, which was agrarian in character. By the beginning of 1887, the movement
had assumed considerable dimensions. Many of the Mundas and the Oraons
refused to pay rent to their landlords and they fought for the restoration of
freedom to the tribal people.
The freedom fighters of Bengal also contributed in Jharkhand. Nirmal Chandra
Banerjee of Hajari Bagh took one of the initiatives in this direction in 1913 when
he pasted the handbills concerning freedom struggle at various places. Jivan
Christo Rai also brought such handbills from 24-Parganas to Giridih. Some of the
students of St. Columba College also joined this movement. One such student
was Ram Vinod Singh who was taken into custody by the British authority. He
was later given the title of ‘Jatin Bagha’.
Ranchi also became one of the main centres of revolutionaries. Ganesh
Chandra Ghosh was leading them. These revolutionaries were in close contact
with their counter part in Bengal. Sachindra Kumar Sen of Belurmath (Howrah)
came to Ranchi and stayed for same time in Doranda. Another revolutionary
Rajat Nath Rai had come to Hazaribagh and spent some time there. Hemant
Kumar Bose was another member of Bengal group who had come to Ranchi.
In 1920, The Non cooperation movement stirred in Ranchi. Most of the
student started participatiny in the movement initially. The movement was limited
to non-tribal only but gradually it spread to tribal also. In between Rajendra
Prasad also visited in Jharkhand for support of movement.
The flames of freedom struggle had engulfed Hazaribagh. St. Columba College
had become the main centre of freedom struggle in the district. Many student
of this college left the study and joined the movement against the British rule.
As already stated above Ram Vinod Singh was one of the students leader who
was nicknamed ‘Jatin Bagha.’ The movement also spread to Singhbhum where
many prominent revolutionaries of Bengal had came and worked for its spread.
Some of them were connected with this Revolutionaries Party of Germany and
Japan. Some of the employees of Tata also became very active in this movement.
The government became so worried that it directed the company officials to
verify antecedents of new recruits before confirming them in employment.
Gandhi came to Ranchi in June 1917 at the invitation of Lt. Edward Gait He
was also invited to visit Ranchi by Shyam Krishna Sahay in London. The latter
was an important freedom fighter of Hazaribagh. Gandhi came here from Motihari
and stayed for 21 days. During this period, he held several meeting at a lot of
place. After that he went to champaran.
There were two places Chaibasa and Jamshedpur where activists of Hindustan
Association were staying . Kakori's culprits like Asfaquallah Khan, Prafull
Chandra Ghosh and Jyoti Pant Rai took refuge in Chotanagpur for some time.
Inspite of these other important leader who played a very important role
after Mahatma Gandhi in Jharkhand was Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. He was
house arrested for three year due to anti British activity in August 1917. He
founded Anjuman Islamia and Madarsa Islamia. Both these institutions opened
in Ranchi and they are still working. Many restrictions were imposed during the
prison days of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. Many visitors were restrained from
meeting him.
In 1920, Congress committee was organised in Ranchi in Palamu. The
committee was constituted as per the direction of the Congress. The president
of the committee was Sher Mohammed Hassan. Bindeswari Pathak was nominated
minister and its treasurer was Nomi Lal Arya, Later on the same committee
became the Congress Committee. A big meeting of the Congress party was
organized in Daltonganj on October 10, 1920 under the leadership of C.F . Andrews.
People participated on a very large scale in this meeting. This meeting also
decided to stretch the Boycott and Non Cooperation Movement particularly
school and colleges. Similar meeting was also concluded in Ranchi, Itki, Ghaghra,
Ormanjhi, Kokar, Tamar, Gumla, Bundu, Doranda and Karra in 1921. A special
session of Congress was organized in Calcutta in 1920. Many important leaders
from Jharkhand took part in the meeting and requested Gandhi to launch Non
Cooperation Movement and the boycott of the foreign goods. Meanwhile
Mahatma Gandhi came in contact with the Tana Bhagats of Jharkhand who
subsequently became his followers. The Tana Bhagats under the leadership of
Sibu and Maya became very active in the freedom movement. They adopted
Satyagraha Movement and courted arrest. His role become so alarming that
British seized their property.
The Congress Party launched the membership drive in Palamu. About three
thousand persons became members of Congress Party during this drive.
Meanwhile many important leaders from Patna visited different parts of Palamu
such as Hussainabad, (Garhwa, Bhawanathpur, Barwadih, Lesligunj, Panki, Patan,
and Manatu etc. Meetings were organized in these places, which gave momentum
to the freedom movement in Jharkhand.
In Japla, Panki and Dalton, public meeting were organised in 1921. Hence,
leader laid emphasis on Khadi, Swadeshi, and Prohibtion, etc. During 1921
several meetings were held to propagate the use of Charkha and Khadi, the
removal of untouchability, boycott of foreign goods and liquor at different places
like Panki, Japla and others. Manindra Nath Swami of Varanashi Yog Ashram
addressed public meeting in Daltonganj on January 7th, 1922
Due to Non Cooperation Movement Shnghbhum was also inspired. A meeting
was held in Golmuri ground of Jamshedpur on 5
th
, 6
th
, 8
th
 and 9
th
 Feb. 1921.
Harishankar V yasji of Kathiawar who was a disciple of Mahatma Gandhi addressed
all these meetings. There was another meeting in Chaibasa on 13th March 1921.
Usman Ali, Bibhuti Bhawan Banerjee and Ram Chander Shahi addressed the
meeting. Complete strike was observed in Jamshedpur on 15
th
 March. Three years
later, the tribes of Singhbhum decided not to give ‘hat’ tax. Vishnu Mahuri led
this anti tax movement. The Singhbhum Congress prevailed played a dominant
role in the whole district.
Ranchi remained the epicenter of the Non-Cooperation Movement in entire
Chotanagpur. Many meetings were held in Lohardagga, Ranchi, Senha, Madhukam,
Itki, Ghaghra. Ormanjhi, Kokar, Tamar, Gumla and Bundu etc. in 1920-21. Leaders
like Gulab Tiwari, Maulvi Usman and Swami Bishwanand spoke on these occasions.
The annual Pinjrapol celebration was held in the month of November 1921.
Padamraj Jain, Bholanath Varman, Maulvi Jakaria, Abdur Rajak and Sunder Dutt
gave their speeches and spoke particularly on Non-Cooperation and Prohibition.
The tribes were attracted on a large scale through the efforts of Tahal Brahmachari,
Gulab Tiwari, and Maulvi Usman.
Under the leadership of Bajrang Sahay the Non Cooperation Movement
geered up. A large number of employees, students, lawyers participated in the
movement and left their jobs. The District Congress Commitee of Hazaribagh
was formed in 1920. During 1921, no of meetings were held to propagate the use
of Charkha, Khadi, removal of untouchability and boycott of foreign goods and
liquor at different places.
Mahatma Gandhi toured Hazaribagh in 1925 and addressed meetings at
Ramgarh and Mandu. The district responded well to the call of Bapu. Khadi and
Charkha became the symbols of freedom struggle. Meanwhile K.B.Sahay became
very active and addressed meetings at Chatra, Gomia, Dhnwar, etc in 1929.
Hazaribagh also participated very actively in the Civil Disobedience
Movement. The British government pursued a policy of ruthless suppression
against the participants of the movement. Meetings and processions were forcibly
dispersed. The Congress leaders were arrested and sent to jails. On December
14, 1930, Rajendra Prasad was released from Hazaribagh jail on the expiry of his
full year term of six months imprisonment.
Non cooperation Movement had to be withdrew in 1922 due to the Chauri
Chaura incident. Immediately after the withdrawal of the Non-Cooperation
Movement in 1922, Swaraj Party of Pro-Changers in the Congress came into
being. Its leaders were C.R. Das and Motilal Nehru. The new development also
affected Hazaribagh where Krishna Ballabh Sahay became the candidate of
Swaraj Party.
In August 1925, Gandhi went to Jamshedpur at the invitation of C.F . Andrews
and stayed there for two days. J.R.D. Tata welcomed him warmly in the steel city.
On 8th August, the Indian Association of the city hosted a party in his honour.
Then Gandhi went to Chaibasa through Chakradharpur. He came back to Ranchi
after holding a meeting there. Rajendra Prasad, Subhash Chandra Bose, Jawaharlal
Nehru, V.V. Giri and Abdul Bari also visited Jamshedpur to give fillip to the
freedom movement.
Gandhi violated the salt law by preparing salt on 6
th
  April, 1930 Many
peoples broke the salt law of fifty places by making salt. The British  government
tried very hard to crush the movement Many freedom fighters were imprisoned
and their properties were damaged badly by the police.
The movement took place in many parts of Jharkhand. There were hartals,
strikes and demonstrations in Ranchi, Silli, Gumla, Chutia, Kuru, Lohardagga,
Bero, Palamu, etc. On 8th April 1930, Nagarmal Modi held a public meeting in
Chutia. Similarly meetings were organized at Khunti and Kuru. Strikes,
demonstrations, processions and boycott Continued in Jharkhand.
The British government continued with the repressive policy, for people of
Jharkhand, In 1930, about 137 freedom fighters were imprisoned in Hazaribagh,
The death of Mopna Manjhi and Ketan Mehta in Patna Camp Jail caused
widespread protests, in Jharkhand Meetings were held in Chatra in 1936 where
prominent leaders like Rajendra Prasad, Sri Krishna Singh, Ram Dayalu Singh and
Mathura Prasad were given speeches at meetings in Chatra.
The people of Singhbhum also defied law and order during Civil Disobedience
Movement. The employees of the steel city and about 400 Sikhs joined the
movement. The people of Chakradharpur protested by cutting trees in the forests.
The death sentence of Bhagat Singh further stimulated the movement. Jamshedpur
observed complete strike on 25th March 1931 against the hanging of Bhagat
Singh.
Palamu also witnessed the agitation during the Civil Disobedience Movement.
The 6
th
 of April 1930 was fixed as the date embarking on salt Satyagraha. The
Tana Bhagats and Oraons met at Hutap on April 24, 1930 and raised voice against
the landlords. They resolved not to pay Chaukidari tax and land revenue. They
further resolved to start anti-liquor campaign. A similar meeting was to be held
at Chandwa but the sub-divisional officer of Latehar instructed the local Zamindars
not to allow such meetings on their lands. Yadubans Sahay of Palamu was leader
of Kisan Sashan also took past in Non-Cooperation Movement with his effort,
area like Hussamebad, Chattanpur, Garhwa, Ranka were most highlighted.
The 53
th
 session of the Indian National Congress was held in Ramgarh on
March 19 and 20 under the presidentship of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. A large
number of Tana bhagats from Palamu attended the Congress session. They
travelled on foot from Palamu under the leadership of Lala Bhagat, Soma Bhagat,
Biswamitra Bhagat and Kabia Bhagat.
Immediately after the Quit India Movement Resolution, Yadubans Sahay and
his followers started the mass movement in Palamu. He was arrested on August
6, 1942. Daltonganj remained paralyzed on the following day (August 7). Soon
the movement spread to the streets. The students of the local schools wanted
to hoist flag on court building but were prevented from doing so by the police.
In Palamu, January 26, 1943 was celebrated with “Prabhat Ferrie” and
processions.
The nationalist leaders condemned the fascist countries like Germany, Italy
and Japan, which followed imperialist and expansionist policies. The government
of India was also at war with Germany But it did so without consulting the
Congress Party or the elected members of the Central Legislatures. The Congress
Ministries including that of Bihar resigned in 1939. A ‘Satyagraha’ programme
was launched in 1940. Gandhi came to Ranchi in this connection. He went to see
Nivaran Babu who was on his deathbed. The annual conference of the Indian
National Congress was held in Ramgarh (Hazaribagh) in March 1940. Maulana
Abul Kalam Azad presided the conference.
The All India Congress Committee met at Bombay on 8
th
’August 1942. It
passed the famous Quit India Resolution and asked the English to Quit India.
The movement engulfed Jharkhand. The people became restless and violent.
They attacked police stations, railway stations and other public properties. The
government adopted a stern attitude. On 14 August 1942, some students and
their leaders were arrested near Zila School when they were trying to take out
a procession. The students of Nadia Hindu High School in Lohardagga hoisted
the tri-colour flag on school building. Gumla witnessed strikes and protests,
which were crushed. The telephone and telegram installation were damaged
between Namkum and Tatisilvai in Ranchi district. On 18th August 1942, the Tana
Bhagats set Bishunpur police station on fire. On 22nd August, the Lohardagga
rail line was damaged between Itki and Tangarbasli. By 30th November 1942, one
hundred and ninety nine activists were arrested.