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Indigo Rebellion 1859-1860

Indigo Rebellion 1859-1860

Section titled “Indigo Rebellion 1859-1860”

2020-04-27 15:11:12

The Indigo revolt took place from 1859-60

  • led by Digambar Biswas and Bishnu Biswas against forcing the peasant to grown Indigo corps.
  • ==peasants learnt to use the legal machinery and Bengali intelligentsia played imp role in it propagation==.
  • Indigo commission issued a notificaiton in Nov 1860.
  • Planters forced meagre amounts as advance and enter into fraudulent contracts. Price paid for the plant was less than the market price.
  • It was done on the best land of the raiyats.
  • Planters with the help of his lathiyals attacked peasants, flogged them, kidnapped women and children to force them to cultivate indigo.
  • The immediate cause was the misreading of the government order and allowing them to retain possession of their land and sow whatever they wished in them.
  • They did not wanted to grow indigo under duress from the Planters.
  • Govindpur in Nadia district of Bengal was the 1st to rise. They formed a counter band under Bishnu and Digambar Biswas against the Lathiyals.
  • It soon spread to other parts, peasants stopped taking advances.
  • Planters and Zamindars threatened with eviction from their lands and increased rents. The Ryots went on a rent strike against this.
  • Later they learnt how to use legal machinery and social boycotts against oppression.
  • Indigo plantation was virtually wiped by the end of 1860 from Bengal.

Reasons for Success

  • Hindu Muslim unity
  • Cooperation, organisation and discipline of the ryots.
  • Intelligentsia helped the ryots in their cause. Harish Chandra Mukherjee published regular reports in Hindo Patriot (started by Madhusudan Ray).
  • Newspapers like The Bengalee gave it wide coverage
  • Din Bandhu Mitras play Neel Darpan (1858-1859) was based on this.
  • Missionaries also supported the cause of the ryots.
  • Indigo Commission was established in 1860 and the gov in Nov that year said that the planters would no longer be coerced to plant indigo.

Image unavailable in web version: Areas of Indigo Revolt MAL DA RAJ SHAH’ / MURS IDABA7’ KARIMBUR B (R BHUM MEHERPUR MUCHADA NADIA B U RD WAN KRISHNAGAR BURDWAN BANGAON SARA SAT ‘SIRAJGANJ • p A BNA e PABNA MAGURA JESSORE DACCA DACCA NARAIL u, h JESSORE % l, (BAKARGANJ BAKARGANJ 24 PARGANAS 3 Districts Effected by Indigo Revolt in Bengal

PYQs

Section titled “PYQs”

Indigo Rebellion (1859-60)

  1. “The Indigo Revolt of 1859-60 holds a very significant place in our history of national liberation movement. For the first time in the history of our anti-colonial struggle, its two independent currents— spontaneous peasant resistance and constitutional agitation in defence of peasantry — came into mutual contact.” Critically examine. [2015, 10m]