Jharkhand Foundation Day: Know How This Iconic Leader & Freedom Fighter Fought For Tribal Rights

Birsa Munda was an iconic tribal leader and freedom fighter known as an important figure of the Indian independence movement. Notably, he was converted into a Christian to join the German Mission School but soon dropped out after finding that Britishers intentionally converted tribals to Christianity.

He created an alternative faith called 'Birsait,' and members of the Munda community soon started joining it, which became a challenge to British conversion activities. He is known for challenging the Christian missionaries and revolting against the British rule for their conversion activities along with Oraon and Munda communities.

In his early days, Birsa realised that the tribals in Bengal's presidency (now Jharkhand) under British rule were deprived of their identity and rights, where conversion to Christianity was one among several threats.

Britishers Grabbed Land Through Unfair Practices

Apart from conversion activities, the Britishers also grabbed the land of tribals through unfair practices. The colonial rule transformed the tribal agricultural system into a feudal state. The tribal cultivated the land through primitive techniques that couldn't generate a surplus, claims Wikipedia.

To increase cultivation levels, the non-tribal peasantries were invited who settled on tribal lands and carried out agricultural practices. The lands held by tribals started alienating, and the chiefs continued gaining solid positions.

A time came when the tribals, who previously owned the farmlands, started losing their proprietary rights and became farm labourers. Taking note of these challenges (cultural change and agrarian breakdown), Birsa Munda responded to the Britishers through a series of revolts.

Munda Revolt- Fight For Tribal Rights

In the Chalkad village of Tamar, Birsa Munda renounced Christianity and asked his tribal community to worship their own god. He declared himself a 'prophet' who had come to recover the lost lands of his people. He soon started the Munda revolt against British rule for their unfair land-grabbing practices.

He escalated the power of freedom inside the tribal community of the Bengal Presidency. During the 1900s, some of his followers killed two police constables and attacked several police stations. The police force reached the high-tension Khunti area to suppress the rebellion and arrest Birsa Munda and his followers.

He escaped from the Khunti area, but the Britishers arrested him after a month and charged him with several criminal cases. He died in prison during police trials on June 9, 1900, but left a spark inside the tribal community.

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