Friday, March 29, 2024
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The Jañtia rebels’ offensive on the British Subjects

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By HH Mohrmen

The British were caught by surprise when all the efforts to get the Jañtia rebels to submit went futile. The government had used all channels at its disposal to try to convince the rebels to surrender but it all went in vain. They British hoped that the tribal fighters would come to their senses and abandon the idea of fighting against them. So it took the British by surprise when things did not go as they had planned and they were not battle-ready. The British force stationed in the hills was not ready for the attack that the rebels had planned.

The British caught unprepared for for the battle
Major Haughton in his message dated Cherrapoonjee November 13, 1862 said that he had learned that the rebels had no intention of any compromise with the government. They have out-rightly rejected the peace offer made by the government. He has also learned from the king of Cherra/ Cherrapoonjee whom the government had engaged as one of the mediators to negotiate with the rebels that the Jañtia fighters are not willing to surrender. He was instead informed that the rebels have decided to harass the British and make them suffer as much as possible till they attain independence. He was also informed that the Jañtias had decided that if they failed to achieve independence they would finally retire beyond the British frontiers. So by the time Haughton arrived in Cherrapoonjee, the rebels had already started an offensive on the government institution in several directions of the hills region of the Jañtia kingdom.
Major J.C. Haughton in his letter to the officiating secretary to the government of Bengal (No. 17C, dated Cherrapoonjee, 12 November 1862) immediately intimated Calcutta about the prevailing situation at the time when he arrived at headquarters. He informed that he arrived at Cherrapoonjee on the November 8 and was surprised to find that the entire station was in a state of alarm. The British subjects were in the grip of fear from the impending attack threatened by the Jañtia rebels. The report doing the rounds was that the rebels from Jañtia poonjee have marched along the foothills to attack Cherrapoonjee.

The Jañtia Rebels on the offensive
It was stated that the rebels had moved during the night and had lodged in a village called Borpoonjee. Fortunately for the British, Shadwell who was the assistant commissioner had already arranged for a party of sepoys and police to move to the village under the command of Lieutenant Worsley to confront the rebels. The British detachment marched in a circle and took twelve instead of six hours to reach the place. They arrived at the location in the dark. The Jañtia rebels attacked the British force but were driven out by the soldiers. Haughton also said that it was not known if any of the rebels were killed but the British suffered no casualty in the encounter.
Next morning the soldiers found a sword, a shield and numbers of bows abandoned by the rebels in their flight during the night. On the same night when the rebels left the place, they then attacked a village of Terriaghat which is located along the way. At the foot of the descent leading to Sylhet the rebels killed two peddlers (box wallah) and a Burkundanze employed by Mr Lane of the Trigonometrical survey was also killed by the rebels. The British force found the heads of the two out of three killed by the Jañtia fighters and some items which were plundered were found in the village of Borpoonjee. Due to the unexpected arrival of the British detachment the rebels were not able to retrieve the properties. So, on their arrival the soldiers found that the rebels and the villagers had disappeared and they then decided to return to their station in Cherrapoonjee.
After that, the Jañtia rebels attacked Bholagunj which is situated on the way to Sylhet but their attack was repulsed by the British soldiers. The government then reinforced its strength in the area and ensured that the area was properly patrolled. The rebels not only attacked the British on this side of the Jañtia kingdom but they also made advances on the other side of the kingdom too. The rebels seemed to have their war plans ready as they simultaneously attacked the government from two directions. In the same message Haughton said that he had heard that a detachment of the rebels had left for North Cachar in order to create disturbance in that region too.
Haughton in the message said that considering the prevailing situation in the area, he is of the opinion that the government would not be able to exert pressure on the rebels unless the government takes more radical measures on the mutineers. Based on the situation Haughton requested Colonel Richardson who was posted in Jowai and the Deputy Commissioner to be alert and not to be content with just providing pickets to the villages which were friendly with the government. They were advised to use all means within their disposal to put pressure on the rebels wherever they were located.
Haughton also requested Lieutenant Colonel Dunsford, C.B. commanding at Gowhatty to move a company to Cherraponjee through the hills and also to send as many men as he can spare from Gowhatty to the hills by steamer to Chattack. The British who were located in the hills region were not only on the defensive from the surprise attack by the rebels, but they also realised the magnitude of the battle when they were compelled to ask for more reinforcement to defend the government’s property and subjects in the region. Haughton also requested Dunsford to send for the European artillery and place them in Gowhatty for a while. He also said that when sufficient numbers of forces arrived, he proposed to station them at the points along the foothills from whence the rebels can be easily subdued and at the same time enable them to constantly patrol the area.

The Kur or the Royal family of Jaintiapur
The British initially used the Koars/Kurs which means the clan or the royal family to come from Jañtiapur, to talk to the rebels and convince them to submit to the government. But they found that the effort was not fruitful. The Kurs not only failed to convince the fighters to give up arms but the British were also beginning to doubt the genuineness of the Kur’s intention to persuade the fighters to lay down arms. The Kurs too seemed to still harbour a secret wish to regain the throne from the British. It looked like the Kurs were more optimistic of achieving the goal when the rebels demanded for the independence of the kingdom from British rule. When the rebels demanded independence their hope to once again occupy the throne of Jaintiapur was rekindled and it looked like an opportunity had come to them on a platter.
The British were right in suspecting that the Kur’s presence in close vicinity to the hills provided the rebels moral support and boosted their morale to fight the enemy. Their being close to where the battle is, gave the rebels a sense of confidence to fight the British. Major Haughton on realizing what had happened, in his letter to the officiating secretary to the Government of Bengal (No. 17C, dated Cherrapoonjee, 12 November 1862), suggested the immediate removal of the Kur from the region and locating them far away in a place like Sylhet or even beyond. He was of the opinion that they should be moved to a place where they have no contact with the rebels. In this connection A. Eden Officiating Secretary to the Government of Bengal, in his letter to the officiating Commissioner of Assam (No. 4641 dated November 22, 1862) agreed to Major Haughton’s suggestion to move the Kurs of the Jañtia royal family from Jaintiapur to Sylhet and they were finally moved to Sylhet.
This also answers the question why the royal palace in Jaintiapur which was surrounded by monoliths was left unattended and was in ruins. After they were moved to Sylhet the whereabouts of the remnants of the royal family were also not traceable.

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