Question

There were uprisings against the British in every corner of the country in the nineteenth century. Make a list of the uprisings in different States and the manner in which the imperialists dealt with them.

Answer 1

• Paika Rebellion (1817, Odisha): Led by Bakshi Jagabandhu against exploitative land policies. The British declared Martial Law, deployed massive troops, and executed or exiled key leaders to crush it.
• Santhal Rebellion (1855–56, Jharkhand/Bihar): A major tribal revolt against British-backed landlords. The British deployed over 14,000 soldiers, killed over 15,000 Santhals, and hanged the leaders (Sidhu and Kanhu).
• The Great Revolt of 1857 (North & Central India): India's first major war of independence. The British ruthlessly recaptured cities using heavy artillery and executed rebels by hanging them publicly or blowing them from cannons.
• Indigo Revolt (1859–60, Bengal): A massive peasant strike against forced indigo cultivation. The British used police force but were eventually forced to appoint the Indigo Commission (1860) to give relief to the farmers.
• Kuka Movement (1871–72, Punjab): A revolt by Namdhari Sikhs to overthrow British rule. The British army brutally crushed them by blowing 65 rebels from the mouths of cannons and exiling their leader to Burma.