Peasant Movements in the 19th Century – Rangpur Dhing

Introduction

The English East India Company (EIC) is known for the oppression it brought to the people of India for almost a century. This company came to this country intending to do some trade and commerce on a grand scale for some products that are very famous in every country in Europe. This is the fact that eventually led to the colonization of the land that finally led to the formation of a British Government system.

Background of Rangpur Dhing uprising

The peasants and farmers who lived in the district of Rangpur Dhing were pushed to the point where they had no other option left. This option was going to show the might of every farmer who had nothing left to lose. The reason for this rebellion was to protect themselves from the oppressive and biased policies imposed by the British invaders on the land revenue system.

These invaders from the continent of Europe were very subjective and compliant with their schemes to obtain a right that was going to get them very rich. The vast reserve of these resources that were offered by the agrarian community of Bengal lured them into formulating these policies.

The rules and regulations stated that a large amount of revenue has to be paid to these plunderers from the island nation of the United Kingdom by the farmers. The revenue was paid to the property owners who had to pay even more to the officers when they came to collect the revenues of the peasants from the treasury of the landlords. All of these policies were the main reason that served as a background to the popular rebellion of Rangpur Dhing.

Leaders of the Rangpur Dhing rebellion

The leader of the rebellion that turned violent was done under the leadership of Kena Sarkar. The leader was said to help the prisoners get out of jail during the rebellion.

This person was responsible for setting up a Government that was forbidding the laws made by the company. Kena Sarkar was also responsible to end the oppression caused by the Ijardar Debi Singh.

Causes of the Rangpur Dhing rebellion

There are a few major major concerns that revolve around the fact that shows the causes of the Rangpur Dhing rebellion. The first cause was an increase in the tax for keeping land possession. The tax that was paid by the peasants was commonly termed the land tax. The second reason that was equally important for the people of this event that led to the revolt was associated with the factors of certain security provided by the Government to the owners of the land.

The issue was that the security given to the tenure in their times of keeping the land under their possession. The third and final reason was the constant exploitation of these peasants who belonged to that section of the society that has crippled them in terms of finances for generations. All of these incidents led to the rebellion in order to protect the farming community of northern Bengal.

Objectives of the Rangpur Dhing rebellion

The objectives of the rebellion that united the entire district of Dinajpur were to settle matters in a way that is just and completely free from all kinds of violence. This is the reason behind the fact that was able to get the peasants to a point where they sent a petition to the head of that district .

The person in power was known as Goodland who took little to no measures in order to solve the problem. Thus, the angry peasants decided to take matters into their own hands.

Figure 1: Objectives of the rebellion

The rebellion was carried out to plunder the stockpile of food resources in the granary. The court where a large number of peasants from the community were tried and put behind the bars was under the occupation of the farmers.

The rebellious event took a serious turn with the third object when the farmers appointed a leader to run a parallel government. The leaders of the peasants were Kena Sarkar who helped the peasants to put up a Nawab. These Nawabs were put in charge of resolving the problem and getting the peasants out of the point of starvation.

Effects of the Rangpur Dhing rebellion

The effects of this event are as follows

• Everyone knew the Ijardari System was not strong enough to oppress the peasants.

• Permanent reforms in the policies were introduced in the farming system.

• People of all castes and creeds banded together to fight the invaders of the country.

• The religious divide between Hindus and Muslims inched closer to one another

• The event paved way for more peasant revolts all across the country.

These are the effects that were obtained by the rebellion caused by the peasants of Rangpur Dhing.

Conclusion

The tutorial gives a proper overview of the causes that lead to the formation of the event. The learners can see the way peasants despised their differences in terms of caste and creed. Rangpur Dhing is just an event that showed bravery and courage against all the odds that stood in front of them. The objectives of the revolt brought some changes to the policies that were associated with the farming community.

FAQs

Q1. When did the Rangpur Dhing rebellion start?

The Rangpur Rebellion was started in the 18th century and went up to the 19th century. The day it started was 18 January 1783.

Q2. Who was the tax collector of the district?

The tax collector of the district was one of the few who were responsible for the causes of the rebellion. The name of this tax collector is Richard Good lad who used to work for the company from England.

Q3. What was the positive effect of the movement?

One of the most positive effects of the movement was a unity between the Hindus and the Muslims.