Syllabus:

GS1: Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present- significant events, personalities, issues.

Context: 

The PM paid the heartfelt tribute to the indomitable courage and extraordinary valour of India’s tribal communities as 30th June 2025, marks the 170th anniversary of the Santhal rebellion. 

More on the News

• The Prime Minister honoured the enduring legacy of revered freedom fighters—Sido-Kanhu, Chand-Bhairav, and Phulo-Jhano—along with countless other brave tribal martyrs who laid down their lives in defiance of colonial oppression.

• Every year, the state of Jharkhand celebrates June 30 as ‘Hul Diwas’, marking the beginning of the rebellion. 

About the Santhal Revolt 

• The Santhal rebellion began in 1855. It was led by two brothers, Sidhu and Kanhu, and it saw the participation of as many as 32 castes and communities rallying behind them.

• It was an “organised war against colonialism” led by the Santhals, standing against the myriad forms of oppression, economic and otherwise, they were subjected to by the British and their collaborator, zamindars and corrupt moneylenders.

• The seeds of the Santhal rebellion, however, were sown in 1832 when the East India Company created the Damin-I-Koh region in the forested belt of the Rajmahal hills. 

• The area was allocated to the Santhals displaced from Birbhum, Murshidabad, Bhagalpur, Barabhum, Manbhum, Palamau, and Chhotanagpur, all areas the Bengal Presidency.

• While the Santhals were promised settlement and agriculture in Damin-i-Koh, what followed was the repressive practice of land-grabbing and begari (bonded labour) of two types, kamioti and harwahi. 

• After the rebellion broke out in 1855, both sides continued clashing till the uprising was crushed in 1856. 

• The British defeated the Santhals using modern firearms and war elephants in decisive action in which both Sidho and Kanho died.

Outcomes of the Santhal Revolt 

• Santhal Pargana: In response to the Santhal Rebellion, the British established the Santhal Parganas in 1856 by separating areas from the Bhagalpur and Birbhum districts, introducing special laws for the Santhal tribes.

• New Police System: It was aimed at removing intermediaries and promoting tribal cooperation in maintaining law and order. However, under pressure from Zamindars and Indigo planters, Act X of 1857 was enacted, weakening the safeguards for the Santhals.

• Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act of 1876: It sought to protect Santhal land rights and restrict transfers to non-tribals, recognizing their traditional system of land ownership.

About Santhal 

• The Santhals were not the original inhabitants of modern-day Santhal Pargana, which includes the six districts of Dumka, Pakur, Godda, Sahibganj, Deoghar and parts of Jamtara. 

• They had migrated from the Birbhum and Manbhum regions (present-day Bengal), starting around the late 18th century.

• The 1770 famine in Bengal caused the Santhals to begin moving and soon, the British turned to them for help. 

• With the enactment of the Permanent Settlement Act of 1790, the East India Company was desperate to bring an ever-increasing area in its control under settled agriculture. 

• They, thus, chose the area of Damin-i-Koh, at the time heavily forested, to be settled by the Santhals in order to collect a steady stream of revenue. However, once settled, the Santhals bore the brunt of colonial oppression.

• Today, the Santhal community is the third largest tribal community in India, spread across Jharkhand-Bihar, Odisha and West Bengal.