This is a well known fact that Raja Chait Singh of Banaras (Varanasi) led an armed rebellion against the English East India Company (EEIC) and attacked the forces of the Governor General Warren Hastings on 16 August 1781. But, it is often overlooked that the main battleground of the ‘revolt’ was in present day state of Bihar.
One aspect should be kept in mind that the present boundaries of the states did not work in 1781. Chait Singh has more area under his jurisdiction in the present day Bihar then the U.P. His father Balwant Singh had captured a large part of Shahabad and Bhojpur in the 1750s and his dominion included regions till Buxar. Apart from it, most of the zamindars (allies) who rose up in revolt in 1781 were from Bihar.
Mr. Ross, who headed the EEIC government at Patna and had jurisdiction over Patna, Shahabad, Gaya and Tirhut, appraised the higher officials in Calcutta (now Kolkata) on 28 August 1781, “I have issued necessary orders to Major Alexander Hardy, commanding the Militia sepoys, to collect his people, as many as spared from the collections, wherever dispersed, in order to protect the city secure the treasure, the investment of piece-goods, opium, &c. , manufacturing at present in the Dutch factory, and to suppress all tumult or any apparent disturbances that may happen by the disaffected in the city. These measures, having been taken as absolutely necessary, have been put into execution with the greatest secrecy and seeming indifference, to prevent any alarm or distrust from the natives of Patna.”
Raza Quli Khan rose up in revolt against the foreign rule with his armed loyalists. Mr. Grome, Collector of Saran, informed Ross that he was aamil (administrator) of Sasaram and supported Chait Singh’s revolt. In Gaya, a member of Tekari Raj, Pitambar Singh also rallied with Chait Singh.
Grome also wrote,
“A person whose name was formerly Boniad Singh, but afterwards changed it on becoming a Musulman, was seen by one who brought me the account, within seven coss of Ramnagore, on his way probably to Reza Cooly Cawn. This man belongs to Chynepur, and has with him 150 horses and 500 armed peons.”
On 30 August, Ross ordered Major Hardy, head of Patna Militia, to arrest Hussain Ali Khan, a zamindar of Arwal and Masowrah for acting as an agent of Chait Singh in his region. The trouble was not going to end so soon for EEIC. On 6 October, Ross directed Hardy to act swiftly against Fateh Shah of Saran, who was leading the rebels against the British Raj. This was also noticed that several zamindars had distributed uniforms of the army of EEIC to their men. Hardy was asked to seize all people “so dressed in masquerade.”
In late August, Narain Singh, the zamindar of Siris and Cutumba in Aurangabad, also showed the signs of revolt. Chait Singh’s Faujdar, Bihu Singh joined him at Agroor Pass and blocked it with their armies. Narain was commanding at least 1500 matchlockmen with his naib Muhammad Shah. Major Crawfurd took a different route and threatened the armies of Narain and Bihu. Narain Singh was later sent to Dhaka in 1786 as a prisoner.
On 13 October 1781, Ensign Dowens received the orders from Ross to move towards Nawada to quell the rebellion of Raja Akbar Ali Khan of Narhat and Samoy. He was commanding at least 5,000 matchlockmen against the EEIC forces. It was soon felt that Dowens could not defeat Akbar. On 21 October, Captain Powel with two companies of army from Danapur joined Dowen’s forces. Akbar retreated in the face of a stronger army towards Kharagpur.
J.Reginald Hand, Deputy Collector of Shahabad, wrote in 1888 that it was a misconception that the revolt was unplanned. The revolt was well planned and all the actors knew about the course of action. He noted, “Within a few days of the massacre, the people were raised en masse, and all the roads and communications were blocked. Within a few weeks, his emissaries had raised a conflagration from Allahabad to Monghyr. These facts, I think, clearly show that the revolt was a pre-arranged and organized one, though hastened by Hastings’ extreme measures.”
(The Views are author’s personal)
