Tribal Revolts in Assam & North East India – PART 1: (APSC Assam History Notes)
Khasi Uprising (1829-1833), Ahom Revolt (1828) and Singhphos rebellion (1830-1839)
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Tribal Revolts in Assam & North East India – PART 1
Khasi Uprising (1829-1833)
After the end of the first Anglo-Burmese war, the British occupied the hilly region between Garo and Jaintia hills, and planned to build a road linking the Brahmaputra valley with Sylhet passing through the entire length of the Khasi area.
Conscriptions of labourers for road construction and a British garrison disobeying orders of Khasi king to stop the road construction project, led the Khasis to revolt under the leadership of Tirot Sing Syiem.
The Khasi chiefs number around 30 decided to throw out the British from the region and organized themselves under Bar Manik. The Garos also joined the revolt.
The revolt lasted for four years and was finally suppressed in early 1833 and the British gained supremacy over these hills. Tirot Sing was eventually captured by the British in January 1833 and deported to Dhaka and he died on 17 July 1835.
Ahom Revolt (1828)
To suppress the Moamoria rebels who captured the capital Rangpur, Ahom King Gaurinath Singha sought help of East India Company. In 1792 Thomas Welsh came with 550 well trained and well armed troops and occupied Guwahati and restored Rangpur to Gaurinath Singha, and they returned to Bengal on May 25, 1794.
Again British came to Assam’s rescue in the first Burma War (1824-26). Though they had pledged to withdraw from Assam after the first Burma War (1824-26), but in contrast, they tried to incorporate the Ahom territories into their dominion. This resulted in a rebellion against the British in 1828.
Under the leadership of Ahom prince Gomdhar Konwar, an armed revolt rose against the British, a year after it was annexed by the British from the Ahoms with the signing of the Treaty of Yandabo. He along with Dhanjoy Borgohain and their followers started a revolt to fight against the British and burned the British armoury at Rangpur and fought the British in Mariani.
The British military suppressed this revolt, Konwar fled to the Naga Hills but soon was arrested and sentenced to seven years of imprisonment and exiled to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Though the revolt failed in it’s goal against the British, they succeeded to put a sense of independence in the minds of the people. As a result as a conciliatory policy, in the year 1833, the British handed over the entire Upper Assam, except Sadiya and Matak region, to Ahom Prince Purandar Singh on the condition of yearly tribute of 50,000 rupees.
In 1838, Purandar Singh defaulted in payments of revenue; the British formally annexed the kingdom, putting an end to the reign of Ahom Dynasty.
Singhphos rebellion (1830-1839)
While the British were engaged in the long lasting warfare with the Khasis, the Singhphos broke into open rebellion in early 1830, which was suppressed very quickly within 3 months. But the discontentment of the Singhphos remained and again the rose in rebellion in 1839 when they killed the British political agent.
Again in 1843, the Singhphos Chief Nirang Phidu attacked the British garrison and killed several soldiers. In 1849, Khasma Singhphos attacked British village in Assam and was captured in 1855.
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