U Tirot Sing Syiem remembered
By Our Reporter
Shillong: The 176th death anniversary of the national freedom fighter of the Hynniewtrep community of Meghalaya, U Tirot Sing Syiem was observed in the city on Sunday.
The KSU Central Body together with its different units and circles paid floral tributes at the monument of the Khasi Martyr at U Tirot Sing Indoor Stadium here.
KSU general secretary Hamlet Dohling narrated the struggle that this freedom fighter had to endure to achieve Independence for the country, while citing the most famous sentence said by U Tirot Sing Syiem while in prison, “I’d rather die in prison like a true king rather than rule my kingdom as a slave”.
Dohling urged the youth to acquire the same spirit and follow the footsteps of this great personality to ensure that the indigenous tribes are safe and free from the traps of the other power hungry individuals.
The Syiemlieh clan of Shillong also paid tributes to Tirot Sing by placing wreathes and flower bouquets on the monument erected at the premises of the State Central Library in Shillong.
It could be mentioned that after concluding the treaty of Yandabu in 1826, the British who had taken control over the Brahmaputra and Surma Valleys wanted to construct a road to link up the two valleys under their occupation. The political agent of the British, David Scott approached Tirot Sing, the chief of Khadsawphra Syiemship for construction of the road project through his kingdom.
U Tirot Sing convened a session of his Durbar in which, after debating for two days and two nights, consented to the proposal. Soon a British garrison with labourers to construct the road was posted at Nongkhlaw. U Tirot Sing, sensing the ulterior motive of the British to ultimately grab the entire hill territory, served a notice to the British to quit Nongkhlaw, but the British did not pay any heed.
After sensing the motives of the British, U Tirot Sing resolved to drive out the British from Khasi Hills and on April 2 1829, hundreds of men attacked the British garrison.
Most of the British soldiers were killed in what is now famous as the Anglo-Khasi war. However, the ill equipped and unorganised tribal army could not withstand the might of the British troops.
U Tirot Sing was finally captured and deported to Dhaka where he died in captivity on July 17, 1835.