Ganga Narayan Singh
Amar Shaheed Veer Ganga Narayan Singh (25 April 1790 - 7 February 1833) is called the hero of Bhumij rebellion. The revolt by the Bhumijs against the British in more than 60 years, from 1767 AD to 1833 AD, has been called the Bhumij Rebellion. The British have called it "Ganga Narayan's Hungama" while historians have also written it as the Chuad rebellion. In 1765 AD, Shah Alam, the emperor of Delhi, gave the Diwani of Bengal, Bihar, Orissa to the East India Company. Due to this exploitation of the tribals started, then the Bhumij revolted.[1]
Veer Ganga Narayan Singh | |
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गंगा नारायण सिंह | |
 Portrait of Ganga Narayan Singh | |
| Born | 25 April 1790 Bandhdih, Nimdih, Jangal Mahal, British India |
| Died | 7 February 1833 Kharsawan, British India |
| Known for | Bhumij Revolt, Chuar Revolt |
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Chuad literally means dacoit or robber. Many historians such as J.C Jha, E.T.Dalton, W.W.Hunter, H.H.Risley, J.C.price, S.C.Roy, Bimla Sharan, Surjit Sinha etc. have called Bhumij as Chuad. Bhumij were very brave. Bhumijs have always raised their voice against injustice, and fought.[2]
Hero of Chuad Rebellion
Raja Vivek Narayan Singh of Varahbhum had two queens. Two queens had two sons. After the death of King Vivek Narayan Singh in the 18th century, there was a struggle for successor between two sons Lakshman Narayan Singh and Raghunath Narayan Singh.
According to the traditional Bhumij system, Lakshman Narayan Singh, the son of the elder queen, was the only successor. But a long family dispute started after the British nominated Raghunath Narayan Singh, the younger son of the king, as per their custom, as the king. The local Bhumij Sardar used to support Laxman Narayan Singh. But he could not stand in front of the British support and military aid received by Raghunath. Laxman Singh was evicted from the state. Laxman Singh was abolished the Jagir of Bandhdih village for his livelihood. Where his job was only to take care of Bandhadih Ghat.[3]
Laxman Singh was married to Mamta Devi. Mamta Devi was humble and pious in nature. But she was a staunch opponent of British tyranny. Laxman Singh had three sons. Ganga Narayan Singh, Shyam Kishore Singh and Shyam Lal Singh. Mamta Devi always encouraged her two sons Ganga Narayan and Shyam Lal to fight against the British.
In the Jungle Mahal, the East India Company started atrocities on the poor farmers in the year 1765 because it had acquired the Diwani of Bengal, Bihar, Orissa from the Mughal Emperor Badshah Shah Alam of Delhi and started taking new measures to collect revenue. For this, the British government made a law on Taxes of salt, Daroga system, land sale law, arrival of moneylenders, rules related to forest law, land auction and Dahmi system, revenue collection and succession rules to collect more revenue from the land of Bhumij in Manbhum, Varahbhum, Singhbhum, Dhalbhum, Patkram, Medinipur, Bankura and Vardman etc. Thus, by all means, the British exploitation of the tribals and the poor peasants went on increasing.
The expelled Lakshman Singh had settled in the village of Bandhdih and tried to get the kingdom and struggled to become the king. But later he was arrested by the British and sent to Medinipur where he died. Ganga Narayan Singh was the son of Laxman Singh. Ganga Narayan Singh was determined to take revenge on the British against the law relating to exploitation, oppression on poor farmers in Jungle Mahal.
By the call of time, the people of that area became aware and all united under the leadership of Ganga Narayan Singh and raised slogans against the British. He explained every policy of the British to every caste of Jungle Mahal and organized them to fight. Due to this, discontent increased in 1768 AD, which took the form of a strong struggle under the leadership of Ganga Narayan Singh in 1832 AD. This struggle has been called by the British as Ganga Narain's Hungama and historians have written it under the name Chuad Rebellion or Bhumij rebellion
Ganga Narayan against British
Ganga Narayan Singh was the first hero to fight against the British rule and exploitation policy, who first formed the Sardar Gorilla Vahini. On which there was support of every caste. Dhalbhum, Patkum, Shikharbhum, Singhbhum, Panchet, Jhalda, Kashipur, Vamani, Vagamundi, Manbhum, Ambika Nagar, Amiyapur, Shyamsundarpur, Phulkusma, Ranipur and Kashipur Raja-Maharaja and Zamindars supported Ganga Narayan Singh.
The Collector of Bankuda, Russell, arrived to arrest Ganga Narayan Singh. But the Sardar Vahini army surrounded him from all sides. All the English forces were killed. But Russell somehow escaped to Bankuda after saving his life. This movement of Ganga Narayan Singh took the form of a storm, which trampled the British regiments in Chhatna, Jhalda, Akro, Ambika Nagar, Shyamsunderpur, Raipur, Phulkusma, Shilda, Kuilapal and various places in Bengal. The impact of his movement was vigorous in places like Purulia in Bengal, Vardhaman and Medinipur districts of Bankura, entire Chotanagpur (now Jharkhand) of Bihar, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar and Sundergarh in Orissa etc. As a result, the entire Jungle Mahal was out of the control of the British. Everyone started supporting Ganga Narayan Singh as a true honest, brave, patriot and social worker.
Eventually the British had to send an army from Barrackpore Cantonment, which was sent under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel Kapoor. The army was also defeated in the conflict. After this Ganga Narayan and his followers expanded the scope of their action plan. The commissioner Baton of Bardhaman and the commissioner Hunt of Chotanagpur were also sent but they too could not succeed and had to face defeat in front of the Sardar Vahini army.
From August 1832 to February 1833, the entire Jungle Mahal remained disturbed at Chotanagpur in Bihar (now Jharkhand), Purulia in Bengal, Vardhman and Medinipur in Bankura, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar and Sundergarh in Orissa. The British tried in every way to suppress Ganga Narayan Singh, but the British could not stand in front of Ganga Narayan Singh's cleverness and fighting skills. The commissioners of Vardhadman, Chotanagpur and Orissa (Raipur) escaped after being defeated by Ganga Narayan Singh. Thus the struggle was so fast and effective that the British were compelled to withdraw the land sale law, inheritance law, excise duty on lac, salt law, jungle law.
At that time Thakur Chetan Singh of Kharsawan was running his rule in alliance with the British. Ganga Narayan Singh went to Podahat and Singhbhum Chaibasa and organized the Kol (Ho) tribes there to fight against Thakur Chetan Singh and the British. On February 6, 1833, Ganga Narayan Singh attacked the Hindshahar police station of Thakur Chetan Singh of Kharsawan with the Kol (Ho) tribes, but unfortunately died on the same day while fighting against the British and the rulers till the last breath of his life. Thus, on February 7, 1833 AD, a mighty, mighty warrior who took iron against the British, the Chuad rebellion, the hero of the Bhumij rebellion, Veer Ganga Narayan Singh, left his indelible mark and became immortal among us.
Ganga Narayan Singh attacked and killed the Diwan of Varahbhum and British broker Madhav Singh in Vanadih on April 2, 1832 AD. After that, along with Sardar Vahini, Varahbazar Muffasil's court, salt inspector's office and police station were set on fire.