Peasant Uprising of Patharughat-1894

The 1894 revolt of Patharughat is one of the most significant event in the history of Indian nationalism. This revolt resulted from peasants’ protest against the enhancement of land tax.

By the end of the 19th century, the British Government succeeded in establishing a plantation economy in Assam to a great extent. A tax policy was framed with a dual strategy to increase the public revenue resources as well as to squeeze the peasantry so much that they would be forced to give up their traditional occupation and join the labour market. Between 1826 and 1893, the land revenue rates were enhanced several times, crippling the peasant economy. Thus, socio-economic changes brought about during the colonial rule led to the complete breakdown of the backbone of peasant economy.

The peasants began expressing their anger. During 1893-94, thousands participated in demonstrations and rallies for several days, particularly in Kamrup and Darrang Districts. At the same time, the peasants of Patharughat and neighbouring areas under Sipajhar tahsil of Darrang district united under the banner of Raijmel (Peoples’ assembly) to challenge the enhancement of tax.

The news about holding of regular mels at Patharughat invited the attention of JD Anderson, the Deputy Commissioner of Darrang District. To prevent such a meeting, Anderson took District Superintendent of Police JR Berington and his force to Patharughat on 27 January 1894. The next morning, Anderson sent Berington and his men with the tahsildar for attaching the property of a ryot who had been served a notice to pay tax. Berington returned in an hour and reported that he was accosted by some aggrieved peasants while doing his job, and that he fired his revolver into the ground to keep them from coming close.

Shortly afterwards, a large number of ryots approached the rest-house where Anderson was camping. As they were unarmed, he met them in an open space within the rest-house complex and read out the orders of the government. He also told them holding mels was illegal and punishable. But the ryots refused to move unless their demands were met. Thereupon, Berington had pushed them to an open field nearby where a huge crowd was waiting. The crowd started hurling sticks, bamboos and clods of earth at the sepoys. Under orders of the DC, Berington and his men fired continuously on the assembled ryots

The official reports said 15 persons died and 37 were wounded, but the actual figures were much higher. As narrated in the Dolipuran, a ballad composed on the basis of folk memory to commemorate the Patharughat uprising, “Sat kuri raij mori thakil dat chelei pori” (140 peasants died in the revolt).

The peasants of Patharughat were the makers of their own rebellion. They proved that they were conscious of the reality and capable of challenging the government. The age long village harmony of Assam facilitated the rise of a class of peasants that emerged as a potential threat to colonial government. Hence the collective action of the peasants of Assam was as significant as other peasant struggles of colonial India.

The Department of Posts is proud to release a commemorative postage stamp remembering the bravehearts of Patharughat rebellion, honouring their heroic acts that played a key role in India’s freedom struggle.