BHOJPUR’S ROLE IN FREEDOM STRUGGLE

BHOJPUR’S ROLE IN FREEDOM STRUGGLE

16-AUG-ENG 2

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA---------------------------Bhojpur district (headquartered at Arrah/Ara) in Bihar has a distinguished place in India’s freedom movement. The region, historically part of Shahabad, produced one of the most celebrated leaders of the 1857 uprising and saw intense popular participation during the Quit India Movement of 1942.

The most iconic chapter centres on Babu Veer Kunwar Singh (also known as Babu Kunwar Singh), the Ujjainiya Rajput zamindar of Jagdishpur. Born on 13 November 1777, he was nearly 80 years old when the uprising reached Bihar.

On 25 July 1857, sepoys of the 7th, 8th and 40th Bengal Native Infantry mutinied at Danapur (near Patna) and marched towards Jagdishpur. Kunwar Singh assumed leadership. Two days later his forces occupied Arrah, the district headquarters, and laid siege to a small British garrison (about 18 Europeans and 50 Sikh soldiers) sheltered in a fortified house. The Siege of Arrah lasted from 27 July to 3 August 1857.

Major Vincent Eyre relieved the garrison after defeating the rebels at Bibiganj (about 5 km west of Arrah). Kunwar Singh retreated; the British destroyed the Jagdishpur fort and palace. Undeterred, he conducted guerrilla warfare across Bihar and parts of present-day Uttar Pradesh, briefly occupied Azamgarh in March 1858, and returned home. On 23 April 1858 he defeated a British force under Captain Le Grand near Jagdishpur. He died of wounds on 26 April 1858 in his village. Legend holds that after being wounded, he cut off his left hand and offered it to the Ganges.

He was supported by his brother Babu Amar Singh and commander-in-chief Hare Krishna Singh. Local Bhojpuri folklore, songs and oral traditions continue to celebrate his campaigns, the capture of British arms, and his defiance.

Bhojpur again became a centre of intense activity after the Quit India resolution of 9 August 1942. Slogans of “Bharat Chhodo”, “Karenge ya Marenge” and “Vande Mataram” resonated across the district. Telegraph wires and railway lines were sabotaged, and large crowds joined the movement from mid-August onwards.

Lasadhi (Lasarhi/Lasari) village (near Sandesh/Agiaon) emerged as a key underground centre. Around 10 September, villagers from Lasadhi, Chasi, Dhakni and nearby places attacked the British Dak Bungalow, set it on fire, hoisted the national flag and forced British personnel to flee. On 15 September 1942, British forces (including Baloch soldiers) surrounded the villages at dawn and opened fire. Villagers resisted with traditional weapons; at least 12 freedom fighters were martyred. Names commonly remembered include Vasudev Singh, Girivar Singh, Ramanand Pandey, Ramdev Sah, Jagannath Singh, Sheetal Lohar, Sabhapati Singh, Keshav Singh and others (accounts sometimes mention a woman among the martyrs). A memorial stands in Lasadhi, and 15 September is observed as Martyrs’ Day.

Another notable act occurred on 28 September 1942, when poet Kavi Kailash of Ghoradei village (Arrah Sadar) and companions attempted to hoist the tricolour at the Arrah Collectorate. He was captured, brutally tortured and martyred.

Several other figures from the district contributed to the national movement:

• Prof. Abdul Bari (born 1884, Koilwar) – prominent in the Khilafat and Non-Cooperation movements, worked closely with Dr. Rajendra Prasad, served as secretary of the Bihar Swaraj Party, and edited The Independent.
• Pandit Hargovind Mishra (Shahpur) and Babu Harnandan Singh (Koilwar) – active leaders in the district-level struggle.
• Jagjivan Ram (born 1908, Chandwa, Arrah) – rose to become a major national leader and cabinet minister after Independence.
• Others such as Ram Subhag Singh also faced imprisonment and repression.

Bhojpuri folk forms—birha, kajri, songs and plays—helped spread nationalist messages against colonial taxes, recruitment and oppression among ordinary people.

The 1857 resistance under Kunwar Singh and the sacrifices of 1942 form the core of Bhojpur’s freedom struggle heritage. These events are regularly commemorated through memorials, folk traditions and official observances. The district’s history reflects both elite leadership (zamindars and educated activists) and widespread popular participation by peasants and villagers.