Peasant Movement and Colonial Repression: Major Massacres is an important section of the history of Rajasthan, which studies the peasant movements of Bijolia, Begun, Bundi/Barad, Alwar-Neemuchana, Meo, Bharatpur, Marwar, Shekhawati, and Sikar in Rajasthan, the repression and major massacres carried out by the colonial government. This topic helps in understanding the socio-economic struggles of peasants, the terminology related to the tax system, and the historical impact of mass movements.
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Peasant Movements in Rajasthan
Taxation and Terminology Related to Peasant Movements
| Tax / Word | Meaning / Description |
| Khalsa | Land under the direct control of the Ruler |
| Jagir | Land under the control of a Feudal Lord / Jagirdar |
| Chanwari Kar | Imposed by Krishna Singh in 1903 AD; a tax of ₹5 on a daughter’s marriage |
| Talwar Bandhai Kar | Started by Prithvi Singh / Prithviraj in 1906 AD; a land tribute given by new Jagirdars to the old feudal lord; this practice was adopted by Rajputs from the Mughals |
| Kunta | A tax estimated on the standing crop by state officials |
| Lata | A tax imposed based on the estimate of the bundle (produce) after harvesting |
| Bhog | Land tax when collected in the form of grain |
| Charnot | A tax levied on land |
| Bighodi | Land tax collected in the form of cash |
| Singoti | A tax imposed on the sale of animals |
| Shunga Kar | Collected in exchange for the right to graze cattle |
| Jajam Laag | A tax collected whenever a Jagirdar laid a new ‘Jajam’ (floor carpet/assembly mat) |
| Khichdi Laag | A tax collected from the people of a village through which the army passed or stayed |
| Ijara System | Giving the right of land revenue collection to the highest bidder for a fixed period |
| Other Tax Names | Nut, Barad, Tanki, Halma, Poola, etc., various local taxes |
Bijolia Peasant Movement (Bhilwara District)
- Duration: 1897–1941 (Approximately 44 years)
- Region: Bijolia Thikana, a first-class fief of the Mewar State.
- Key Features
- The longest-running non-violent peasant movement in India.
- The first and most organized peasant movement in Rajasthan.
- The majority of participating farmers belonged to the Dhakad caste.
- Ruler of Mewar during the movement: Maharana Fateh Singh.
- Farmers were subjected to approximately 84 types of taxes (Lags).
- The Thikana (Fiefdom)
- Feudal Lord (Samant): Rao Krishna Singh.
- Founder: Ashok Parmar.
- He was granted the “Uparmal Jagir” in exchange for helping Rana Sanga in the Battle of Khanwa (March 17, 1527).
- Uparmal historically included parts of present-day Jhalawar, Kota, and Bundi.
Main Causes
- 84 types of local taxes (Lag-Bag).
- High land revenue.
- Lata-Kunta system (Crop estimation methods).
- Begar (Forced labor).
- Chanwari Kar (1903) and Talwar Bandhai Kar (1906).
First Phase (1897–1914)
- Starting Point: Girdharpura village (Dhakad farmers).
- Inspirer: Sadhu Sitaram Das.
- Farmer Leaders: Nanji Patel and Thakari (Gopal) Patel.
- Farmers met Maharana Fateh Singh with their grievances. Officer Hamid Hussain was sent to investigate.
- Local Workers: Premchand Bhil, Fatehkaran Charan, Brahmadev.
- Chanwari Kar (1903): Imposed by Krishna Singh (₹5 or ₹13 tax on daughter’s marriage); abolished in 1905.
- Talwar Bandhai (1906): Imposed by the new lord, Prithvi Raj. In 1914, the Jagir was placed under state control (Khalsa), and Amar Singh Ranawat was appointed.
- Leadership of the First Phase – Sadhu Sitaram, Fatehkaran Charan, Brahmadev.
Second Phase (1914–1923) –
- Inspirer – Still Sadhu Sitaram Das
- Main Leader – Vijay Singh Pathik (Joined in 1916)
- 1917 – Establishment of Kisan Panch Board (Chairman – Sadhu Sitaram Das)
- 1917 – Establishment of Uparmal Panch Board (Chairman – Sadhu Sitaram Das, Sarpanch – Manna Patel) in Barisal village
- Pathik raised the issue in newspapers
- Pratap (Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi), Maratha, Abhyudaya, Bharat-Mitra, etc.
- 1920 – Pathik and Ramnarayan Chaudhary started the “Rajasthan Kesari” paper.
- Gandhiji’s statement – “Others only talk, Pathik works like a soldier.”
- Gave Pathik the title of ‘Rashtriya Pathik’.
- Inquiry Commissions –
- 1918–19 – Bindulal Bhattacharya Commission (Members – Thakur Amar Singh, Afzal Ali)
- 1920 – Raj Singh Bedla Commission (Members – Takhat Singh Mehta, Ramakant Malviya)
- National Level Impact – Mentioned by Tilak in the 1919 Congress Amritsar session; Moral support from Gandhiji in the 1920 Nagpur session.
- Agreement of 11 February 1922 –
- British side – Robert Holland, Wilkinson, Ogilvie
- State side – Prabhash Chandra Chatterjee, Bihari Lal
- Farmer side – Manikya Lal Verma, Ramnarayan Chaudhary, Narayan Ji, Motichand Ji
- Result – 35 out of 84 taxes abolished (but the feudal lord did not fully accept).
Third Phase (1923–1941) –
- Tax increase on unirrigated land by Land Settlement Officer Trench → New discontent
- 1927 – Leadership in the hands of Manikya Lal Verma
- 1929 – Leadership taken over by Haribhau Upadhyaya
- 1941 – Mewar PM T.V. Raghavachari and Revenue Minister Mohan Singh Mehta reached an agreement with farmers → Movement ended
- Final farmer slogan – “Jai Hind, Vande Mataram”
- Women’s Participation – Anjana Devi, Narayani Devi Verma, Rama Devi, Janki Devi, etc.
- Messengers – Prem Chand Bhil, Tulsi Bhil
- Manikya Lal Verma wrote the “Panchhida” song.
- Comment in Pathik’s book “What are the Indian States?” – “The beginning of the Bijolia movement was enthusiastic, the end was painful.”
- Vijay Singh Pathik –
- Birth: Bulandshahr (U.P.), Original name: Bhoop Singh Gurjar
- Imprisoned in Todgarh Jail (Ajmer), famous as ‘Mahatma’ in Chittorgarh
- Sent a silver Rakhi to Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi
Begun Peasant Movement (Chittorgarh District)
- Period – 1921–1923 (Main), later reforms in 1925
- Area – Begun Thikana (First-class estate of Mewar), mainly started from Bhairukund place in Menal (Bhilwara)
- Caste of Farmers – Predominantly Dhakad
- Feudal Lord (Samant) – Initially Anoop Singh, later Amrit Lal
- Leadership –
- Initial – Ramnarayan Chaudhary
- Later – Vijay Singh Pathik
- Women’s Leadership – Anjana Chaudhary (wife of Ramnarayan Chaudhary)
- Events –
- 1921 – Movement started from Menal Bhairukund
- “Bolshevik Agreement” – Between Anoop Singh and the public; farmers’ terms were accepted, but Mewar ruler Bhupal Singh rejected it
- Investigation by Land Settlement Officer Trench
- 13 July 1923 – Govindpura (Bhilwara) Firing Incident –
- Martyrs – Rupa Ji Dhakad, Kripa Ji Dhakad
- This is the Govindpura tragedy / Tragedy of the Begun Peasant Movement
- Struggle against forced labor (Begar), Lata-Kunta, and other practices
- Result –
- In 1925, 34 types of tax rates were abolished
- Forced labor (Begar) practice ended
- Pathik was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment on 10 September 1923; released in April 1927
Bundi / Barad Peasant Movement (Barad Region – Lambakhoh) –
- Period – Approximately 1922/23–1943
- Location – Barad region of Bundi state (Nimna area, farmers of Lambakhoh)
- Leadership –
- Main: Nayanuram Sharma / Hariprasad Sharma
- Local: Nityanand
- Nature – The movement was not against the Jagirdari system, but against the suppression by the Bundi administration; forced labor (Begar) was taken even from women.
- 1922–23 – Farmers of Lambakhoh started the movement in Nimna.
Dabi Tragedy (2 April 1923, Bundi) –
- Police officer Ikram Hussain opened fire on a meeting in Dabi village.
- Martyrs – Nanak Ji Bhil, Devi Lal Gurjar
- Nanak Ji Bhil was singing the “Jhanda Geet” (Flag Song) when he was shot.
- Funeral – Conducted in Devgarh.
- Manikya Lal Verma wrote the song “Arji” in his memory.
- Further Events –
- Newspapers against suppression – Tarun Rajasthan (Ajmer), Rajasthan Kesari (Wardha), Pratap (Kanpur), etc., wrote about it.
- Pamphlet – “Atrocities on Women in Bundi State”.
- 5 October 1936 – Large protest by Gurjar farmers in the Barad region against the Nukta practice and taxes.
- Prominent Leaders – Pt. Nayanuram Sharma, Bhanwar Lal Sunar, Narayan Singh.
Alwar / Nimuchana Peasant Movement & Mev Peasant Movement –
Nimuchana Massacre / Alwar Peasant Movement
- Date – 13–14 May 1925
- Location – Nimuchana village, Bansur Tehsil (Alwar)
- Special Note – This movement took place on Khalsa land (Alwar had 80% Khalsa and 20% Jagir land).
- Causes –
- Menace of Wild Boars (Destruction of crops).
- Increase in land revenue rates by up to 40%.
- Ijara System (Revenue collection rights given to the highest bidder).
- Removal of exemptions previously granted to Rajputs and Brahmins.
- The Incident –
- Commander Chajju Singh ordered firing on the peasant assembly and the burning of the village.
- 144 houses were burnt down.
- 156 persons and 160 animals were killed.
- Approximately 600 persons were injured.
- Compensation – ₹128 per family.
- Press and Reaction –
- Tarun Rajasthan (31 May 1925) provided a detailed pictorial account.
- The newspaper Riyasat described it as more horrific than the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
- Gandhiji, in Young India, called it the “Jallianwala Massacre of Rajasthan” and “Dyerism double distilled” (Double Dyershahi).
- Naming – Ramnarayan Chaudhary gave it the name Nimuchana Massacre.
Mev Peasant Movement (Mewat Region – Alwar & Bharatpur) –
- Period – Discontent began with the land revenue settlement in 1923–24; the movement intensified in 1932 and ended in 1934.
- Region – Mewat (Alwar, Bharatpur); Major centers – Tijara, Ramgarh, Laxmangarh, Kishangarh.
- Organization – Anjuman Khadim-ul-Islam (1932)
- Founder – Dr. Mohammad Hadi
- Main Leaders –
- Dr. Mohammad Ali (Alwar)
- Chaudhary Yasin Khan (Gurgaon)
- Ghulam Syed Bhik Narang (Ambala)
- Mohammad Hadi
- 12 December 1932 – The Maharaja of Alwar formed a committee to investigate the farmers’ grievances –
- Chairman – Raja Durjan Singh
- Members – Ganeshi Lal, Gazanfar Ali
- Main Demands of Mev Farmers – Construction of dams, right to cut grass, abolition of forced labor (Begar), etc.
- 1934 – Movement ended.
Bharatpur Peasant Movement –
- 1931 – New land settlement was implemented.
- During the protest, leader Bhoji Lambardar was arrested.
- After the arrest, the movement gradually came to an end.
Marwar Peasant Movement (Jodhpur State) –
- Period – Around 1923; activities continued thereafter.
- Causes –
- Lifting of the ban on the export of female animals (Farmers protested, demanding the protection of female livestock).
- Against taxes and exploitation.
- Leadership –
- Conducted by – Jai Narayan Vyas.
- During the movement – Vyas, Bhanwarlal Saraf, and Anandraj were sent to jail; they were released after the Gandhi-Irwin Pact (1931).
Chandawal Peasant Movement / Incident (1942)
- Location – Chandawal village of Sojat Pargana (Pali/Marwar)
- Leadership – Workers of the Marwar Lok Parishad
- Incident – A peaceful conference was attacked with sticks (lathis) and spears by the Jagirdar/Government forces, leaving many injured.
- Gandhiji condemned this incident in his newspaper ‘Harijan’.
Shekhawati Peasant Movement (1923–1951) –
- Region – Shekhawati (Sikar, Jhunjhunu, etc.)
- Causes – Increase in taxes, atrocities by feudal lords.
- Ruler – Maharaja Man Singh of Jaipur State;
- Feudal Lord (Samant) of Sikar – Kalyan Singh
- Main Leadership – Ramnarayan Chaudhary (Secretary of Rajasthan Seva Sangh)
- Organizations –
- 1921 – Chirawa Seva Samiti (Problems were published in Tarun Rajasthan)
- Regional Jat Sabha (1931), First session in 1933 at Palthana/Palsana (Sikar)
- Panchpane – Bissau, Malsisar, Dundlod, Mandawa, Nawalgarh (Jhunjhunu); These were the main areas of the movement.
- Shekhawati Zakat Movement – Led by Pt. Narottam Lal Joshi
Sikar Peasant Movement (1922) –
- Cause – Excessive tax increase by Feudal Lord (Samant) Kalyan Singh.
- Leaders – Ramnarayan Chaudhary; Others – Sardar Harlal Singh, Netram Singh Gorir, Panne Singh Batadanau, Master Chandrabhan, Narottam Lal Joshi.
- Results –
- Entry of Ramnarayan Chaudhary and the newspaper ‘Tarun Rajasthan’ was banned in Sikar.
- Discussion of the movement was raised in the British House of Commons by Patrick Lawrence.
- Published in the English newspaper ‘Daily Herald’.
Katrathal Conference (25 April 1934) –
- Cause – Humiliating treatment of Jat women of Sotia Ka Bas village by Man Singh.
- Location – Katrathal (Sikar)
- Attendance – Presence of more than 10,000 women.
- Presidency/Leadership – Kishori Devi
- Key Female Speaker – Uttama Devi; Others – Phoola, Rama, Uma, Durga Devi, etc.
Jaisinghpura Incident (21 June 1934, Jhunjhunu)
- Feudal lord Ishwari Singh ordered firing on farmers.
- Later, Ishwari Singh was punished
- This was the first instance when the killers of Jats/farmers were punished.
- From 1924, the incidents were published in the weekly magazine “Jat Veer”.
Kudhan/Kundan Massacre (Sikar, 25 April 1935) –
- Cause – Tax increase by Kalyan Singh; farmers refused to pay taxes upon the advice of farmer leader Dhapi Devi.
- Incident – Captain Webb ordered firing on the farmers.
- Martyred Farmers – Chetram, Tikuram, Tulcharam, Asaram.
- Discussion of the Incident –
- Raised by Lawrence in the British House of Commons.
- News published in Daily Herald (London).
- Dhapi Devi (Dhapi Dadi) was the prominent woman associated with this massacre.
- Khudi Village Incident (25 March 1935) – Murder of Chaudhary Ratna; described in the ‘Karmaveer’ magazine.
Rastapal Massacre (Dungarpur, 20 June 1947) –
- The British closed the school (Pathshala) of Rastapal.
- In protest, teacher Nanabhai Khant died due to a police beating.
- Teacher Senga Bhai was tied behind a truck and dragged.
- 12-year-old Bhil student Kali Bai cut the rope → Police opened fire; Kali Bai was martyred.
- Memorial – Rastapal (in the names of Kali Bai and Nanabhai).
- Raisinghnagar Incident (Bikaner, 1 July 1946) –
- Conference of the Bikaner Lok Parishad.
- Ruler Shardul Singh suppressed the movement.
- Martyr – Birbal Singh.
- Kangad Incident (Bikaner, 1946 – Present-day Ratangarh, Churu) –
- Location – Kangad Village
- Suppression and violence against farmers.
- Jai Singh Pura Incident – Described above in Shekhawati (1934).
- Jat Peasant Movement of Mewar –
- Time – During the reign of Maharana Fateh Singh.
- Location – Jat farmers of the Matrikundiya (Chittorgarh) region.
- Shuddhi Movement (Bharatpur, 1928) –
- Leadership – Raja Krishna Singh (Bharatpur).
- Cause – The British government removed Krishna Singh and appointed Duncan Mackenzie as the new administrator.
Marwar Hitkarini Sabha
- Marudhar Mitra Hitkarini Sabha (1915) – Initial organization.
- Marwar Hitkarini Sabha –
- Establishment – By Chandmal Surana.
- Leadership – Jai Narayan Vyas.
Taul Movement (1920–21) –
- Leadership – Chandmal Surana
- Objective – To stop the export of female animals.
- Farmers protested by devaluing the currency; the King agreed to stop the export → Movement successful (efforts of Vyas).
Dabra Massacre (13 March 1947, Didwana – Nagaur) –
- Location – Dabra village of Didwana Pargana
- Event – Joint conference of Marwar Lok Parishad + Marwar Kisan Sabha
- Firing by the government; many farmers martyred, hundreds injured.
- Prominent Martyrs – Chunnilal, Jaggu Jat, and others (Pannaram, Ramuram, Rudharam, Nandram, Chunniram, Dhannaram, etc., are mentioned in separate lists).
