Munda Rebellion (Ulgulan Movement: 1899-1900) and Pabna Revolt (1873–76): | History Optional for UPSC (Notes) PDF Download

Munda Rebellion: Overview

• The Munda Rebellion, also known as the "Ulgulan Movement," was a significant tribal uprising in the 19th century, led by Birsa Munda in the Chotanagpur region (near Ranchi, Jharkhand).
• The revolt aimed to establish Munda Raj by driving out the British, primarily in the Munda belt of Khunti, Tamar, Sarwada, Bandgaon.
• The movement was characterized by the struggle against British oppression and the desire to reclaim tribal rights and land.

Background and Causes of Munda Revolt (Ulgulan):

• Post-1857, there was unrest among settled agriculturists and a continuation of millenarian movements among tribal peasants, exemplified by the Munda Ulgulan of 1899-1900 under Birsa Munda.
• The British imposed forest, land, other laws that stripped tribals of their natural rights, treating forests as maternal sources.
• Moneylenders, landlords, traders, mahajans were introduced by the British, facilitating the looting of adivasis.
• Tribal lands were usurped, reducing tribals to a slave-like existence.
• Munda tribals practiced the Khuntkatti system (joint holding by tribal lineages), but outsiders (dikus), rich farmers, merchants, thekedars from Northern India attempted to impose the Zamindari-tenancy system.
• These new landlords caused indebtedness and forced labor (beth-begari) among the tribal population.
• The Munda tribes resisted this oppression for over three decades, with Birsa Munda giving new direction and meaning to the struggle.
• The alienation of Munda land and the influx of dikus spurred agitation under various leaders from 1890-95.
• Birsa Munda eventually led this movement, mobilizing Munda tribal peasants across Chota Nagpur, promising protection from an impending disaster.

Birsa Munda and the Munda Ulgulan

• Birsa Munda, born in 1875 to a poor Munda tribal family, led the Munda Ulgulan(revolt) against British colonial rule in Jharkhand.
• He gained initial popularity for his healing powers and later declared himself a god, calling for an end to British rule and the establishment of Munda Rule.
• Birsa organized the tribals to stop paying debts and taxes, breaking ties with missionaries and advocating for revolt.
• After being imprisoned for two years, he continued to inspire the tribals, forming military units for armed struggle and propaganda.
• He led tribals on pilgrimages to Munda holy sites, fostering a sense of past glory and resentment against foreign rule.
• Birsa declared December 24, 1899, as the day for armed struggle against the British.
• Attacks targeted symbols of the regime, including churches, temples, police stations, spreading across 550 square miles.
• Despite fierce resistance, the British army suppressed the uprising, leading to Birsa's capture and death in jail at the age of 25.
• His movement aimed not just at local issues but at ending British rule and establishing a Birse Raj.
• Birsa Munda's Ulgulan reflected a new political awareness in tribal movements, aiming to overthrow the British Raj and establish a new order.

Result of Munda Ulgulan:

• The Chotanagpur Tenancy Act 1908 was enacted by the government.
• Khuntkatti rights were recognized by the government.
• The government banned Beth Begari, which is forced labor.
• Birsa Munda became a legend to the tribals of Chota Nagpur and a symbol of the anti-feudal and anti-colonial struggle of that time.

Overview of the Pabna Revolt (1873–76)

• The Pabna Revolt, also known as the Pabna Peasant Uprising, was a peasant resistance movement against landowners in Bengal during the years 1873 to 1876.
• It took place in the Yusufshahi pargana(now part of Sirajganj District, Bangladesh) and was led by Ishan Chandra Roy, who earned the title "Bidrohi Raja" (Rebel King).
• The revolt was fueled by the spirit of rebellion among peasants, particularly in regions influenced by the Faraizi movement, which had laid the groundwork for moral righteousness and resistance.
• In 1873, the Agrarian League was formed in the Yusufshahi pargana, responding to the oppression imposed by new landlords and pushing peasants to their limits.
• The Pabna Revolt was part of a broader pattern of agrarian unrest in East Bengal during the 1870s and early 1880s.

Causes

• Zamindars attempted to increase rents beyond legal limits.
• They sought to prevent tenants from gaining occupancy rights under Act X of 1859 by denying continuous leases.
• Illegal and coercive methods were employed, including forced evictions.
• Crops and cattle were seized as part of their oppressive tactics.
• Tenants were dragged into expensive court litigations.
• They imposed illegal cesses or abwabs.
• Peasants, subjected to such oppression, reached a breaking point.
• In May 1873, an agrarian league was established in Yusufshahi Parganah, Pabna district.
• The league organized mass meetings to resist zamindar demands.
• They rallied large crowds of peasants to intimidate zamindars.
• A rent strike was initiated to refuse payment of enhanced rents.
• This movement challenged zamindars legally.
• Funds were raised from ryots to cover legal costs.
• The struggle expanded from Pabna to other districts in East Bengal.
• Agrarian leagues were formed, leading to rent withholding.
• Legal battles against zamindars were initiated.
• Led primarily by substantial peasants, the movement was supported by the lower peasantry.
• The movement remained largely non-violent and within legal boundaries.
• There was a strong faith in the British justice system.
• Legal resistance was the primary mode of struggle with minimal violence.
• Ryots developed a strong awareness of their legal rights.
• They demonstrated the ability to organize for peaceful agitation.
• The Pabna model was replicated in other districts of eastern and central Bengal.
• Zamindars engaged in "high landlordism", violating laws.
• They imposed arbitrary rent increases and illegal abwabs.
• Agrarian leagues emerged in Dacca, Mymensingh, Tripura, Bakarganj, Faridpur, Bogra, Rajshahi districts.
• These leagues inundated civil courts with rent suits.

Government Response:

• The government defended the zamindars during instances of violence, leading to the large-scale arrest of peasants.
• However, it maintained a neutral stance in legal disputes and peaceful protests.
• The government also pledged to enact legislation to shield tenants from severe zamindari oppression, a commitment partially fulfilled with the Bengal Tenancy Act of 1885.

Bengal Tenancy Act of 1885:

• This act aimed to provide better protection for the occupancy rights of substantial peasants who leased land continuously for twelve years within the same village.
• However, the rights of lesser peasantry remained undefined and unprotected.

Other Characteristics:

• The colonial regime found the movement acceptable as it focused on addressing immediate grievances and enforcing existing legal rights without challenging the zamindari system.
• The movement lacked an anti-colonial political agenda.
• Bengal peasants demonstrated Hindu-Muslim solidarity, despite the majority of ryots being Muslim and zamindars being Hindu.
• There was no effort to foster peasant solidarity based on religion or caste.
• While some leaders were Hindu and communal harmony was evident, these regions also had a strong following of the Faraizi movement.
• Naya Mian, the son of Dudu Mian, played a significant role in organizing the agrarian movement in Mehendigunge in 1880.

Support of Middle-Class Intelligentsia:

• Several young Indian intellectuals, including Bankim Chandra Chatterjea and R.C. Dutt, supported the peasants' cause.
• During the debate on the Bengal Tenancy Bill, the Indian Association, led by Surendranath Banerjee,Anand Mohan Bose, Dwarkanath Ganguli, advocated for tenant rights, helped establish ryot unions, organized large meetings in support of the Rent Bill. They also called for the permanent fixation of tenant rents.
• However, a notable aspect of the Pabna uprising and its aftermath was the mixed response of the educated middle classes.
• The Calcutta native press, which had previously taken a clear stance against European planters, became divided when the oppression of indigenous landlords was criticized.
• The Hindoo Patriot and Amrita Bazar Patrika adopted a pro-landlord position, while other publications ridiculed them when their reports on peasant violence were exposed as landlord propaganda.
• This dilemma persisted for middle-class Indian nationalists throughout their careers, reflecting a struggle they never fully resolved.