Patharughat is a small village in the Darrang district of Assam, north-east of Guwahati is often called as ‘Patharighat’ or ‘Potharughat’. In January 1894, the British Army in Patharughat, massacred more than a hundred unarmed farmers for silently protesting against the increase in land revenue imposed by the colonial administration.
The Uprising
In 1826, after the British took over the state of Assam, they surveyed the vast lands of the state. Based on their surveys, the British imposed land taxes on farmers, which was much more than their capacity to pay. Though the farmers were dissatisfied, they used to pay their taxes, either in kind, or provided a service to the British government, in lieu of cash. In 1893, the British government decided to increase the agricultural land tax by about 70-80 per cent. The farmers could not bear the burden.
They started protesting against this exorbitant increase in land tax by organising peaceful peoples’ conventions (Raij Mels). The gatherings and protest by the farmers were peaceful. However, the British government perceived them as breeding grounds for sedition. So, whenever there was a peaceful peoples’ convention, the British would come down heavily on the protesting farmers to disperse them.
On January 28, 1894, the British officers lathi charged the farmers and then opened fire, which led to the killing of many peasants. B.C. Allen, the then Darrang District Gazetteer (1905), put the official record of casualties in the clash as 15 killed and 37 wounded in the protest. However, according to the eyewitnesses, over 100 farmers were killed.
Significance of the Incident
The Patharughat massacre has hardly featured in any mainstream historical discourse of the freedom struggle.
While many refer the incident as ‘Patharughat Ron’ or the ‘Battle of Patharughat’, the protest and uprising was a peaceful forerunner to the non-violent movement propagated by Mahatma Gandhi at a later stage.
The significance of the incident lies in the fact that Patharughat massacre was one of the very few occasions in the history of India where, even without a well-defined leadership, the masses had organised themselves to resist the autocratic rule of the British.
Martyrs’ Column
In commemoration of the Patharughat martyrs, a Martyrs’ Column was erected at the site on January 28, 2001 by the Indian Army. This was unveiled by the then Governor of Assam, S.K. Sinha. The date, January 28, is remembered as ‘Krishak Swahid Diwas’, and on this day the government and the people of Assam pay respect to the martyrs at the Martyrs’ Column. On January 29 each year, the Indian Army pays its respects to the martyrs.
On January 28, 2021, the Chief Minister of Assam inaugurated an Integrated Training and Skill Development Centre for farmers near the site. The centre would be equipped to teach farmers new skills and technology in farming. Those who come to learn the skills in farming as well as those who come to teach in the centre would get the opportunity to learn about the unique history of Patharughat.
The only book that has been written on the Patharughat incident, is by Padma Shri winner Arup Kumar Dutta, which is titled Potharughat. This book projects the uprising as the first known instance in India of non-violent and passive resistance to British rule, way before Mahatma Gandhi had entered the freedom struggle. It also attempts to make the rest of the nation aware of this forgotten episode in India’s freedom movement.