explain the rebellion of bastar people against the British
Answers
Answer:
The people of Bastar started a revolt against the British because the government proposed to reserve two-thirds of the forest in 1905 and stop shifting cultivation, hunting and collection of forest produce. Tribals also suffered from increased land rents and frequent demands of free labour and goods by colonial officials. The rebellion was initiated by the Dhurwas of the Kanger forest. An important figure of the movement was Gunda Dhur from village Nethanar. The message of the rebellion was spread through the circulation of mango boughs, a lump of earth, chillies and arrows. Each village contributed to the expenses related to the rebellion. Tribals of Bastar attacked all symbols of the colonial state powerand its oppressive laws. The British Government responded with brutal repression. As the government troops unleashed a campaign of violent retribution, the tribals fled into the jungle. Gunda Dhur was never captured. Work on reservation was stalled temporarily, and when it was resumed, the area had been reduced roughly to half the size planned before 1910.
Answer:
The Bastar Rebellion, also known as the bhumkal (earthquake) was an Adivasi rebellion in 1910 against the British Raj in the princely state of Bastar in central India. It was led primarily led by Gunda Dhur, a tribal leader, as well as by a diwan and cousin of the king, Lal Karendra Singh. The tribals mobilized, which led to the entire state rising in revolt against the British, overwhelming the small 250-strong police force in the state, and was marked by widespread rioting, looting and arson. By the end of February, however, additional troops from neighbouring Jeypore and Bengal had quelled the revolt and arrested the leaders.[1]
The primary cause of the rebellion, as was later discovered by several government reports examining the cause of the riots, was oppressive British forest policies. The British had begun reserving forests, which only allowed certain corporations to exploit forest resources. This resulted in the barring of tribals from using the forests for their livelihoods, and oftentimes, the displacement of entire villages, which led to massive resentment against the British.[1]