BIHAR ARCHIVES DIRECTORATE ORGANIZED A RECORD EXHIBITION ON ‘REVOLT OKF 1857 AD AND BIHAR IN RECORDS

BIHAR ARCHIVES DIRECTORATE ORGANIZED A RECORD EXHIBITION ON ‘REVOLT OKF 1857 AD AND BIHAR IN RECORDS

15-AUG-ENG 2

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

PATNA-----------------------Bihar State Archives Directorate, Department of the Cabinet Secretariat, Government of Bihar has been organizing record exhibitions with the aim of spreading awareness among the public about important events and persons related to the freedom movement.

In the same series, on the eve of Independence Day, Bihar State Archives Directorate organized a record exhibition on the topic 'Revolt of 1857 AD and Bihar in Records' in the premises of Abhilekh Bhawan today. The subject matter of the records displayed is based on the activities of the revolt of 1857 AD in Patna, Shahabad, Tirhut, Saran, Palamu etc. areas of undivided Bihar and the harsh efforts being made by the colonial government to suppress it. These include the death sentence to Peer Ali Khan and his other companions, Babu Veer Kunwar's rebellious activities in Ara and its surrounding areas, British correspondence related to Kunwar Singh's associate Amar Singh, soldiers in Danapur Cantonment being punished for rebellion Important records related to the trial proceedings of rebel Harkishan Singh on charges of incitement and treason, arrest of Nishan Singh, British efforts to disarm Shahabad, list of persons participating in the 1857 revolt in Patna division, etc. have been included. The records displayed highlight the important role of Bihar in the initial struggle for Indian independence.

The record displayed in the exhibition also includes the order of the British Government dated 22 June 1857 in which Narayan Singh Fakir, Jwala Singh and Ramdas were sentenced to six months imprisonment for inciting the royal soldiers to revolt.

Peer Ali Khan led the revolt in Patna on 3 July 1857. Peer Ali Khan was publicly arrested on 07 July 1857 along with other rebels Ghazi Khalifa, Ghulam Abbas, Nandulal alias Sipahi, Jumman, Maduwa, Kazil Khan, Ramzani, Peer Baksh, Peer Ali, Wahid Ali, Ghulam Ali, Mahmud Akbar and Asrar Ali Khan were hanged along with him. Records related to this have also been displayed for viewing.

Many letters written by British officials have been displayed in the exhibition which describe the battles of rebels led by Kunwar Singh with the British in Sasaram and its surrounding areas. There is also a mention of the way Kunwar Singh's army fought bravely against the British in Gorakhpur, Ballia and Azamgarh. Kunwar Singh's historical long march of about 9 months has been kept for viewing in the exhibition through maps. Records clearly mention that the British government was so afraid of Kunwar Singh that all the routes for his return from Jagdishpur were banned. A proclamation was published in the Calcutta Gazette on April 21, 1858 regarding the reward of Rs. 25,000 by the British government for capturing Kunwar Singh alive. On September 6, 1857, a proclamation of Patna Commissioner E. A. Samuels was published. In the letter written by the Secretary, Government of Bengal, there is a detailed discussion of the spread of the revolt of 1857 in Bihar and the repressive action taken by the British government to suppress it.

Director of Archives Dr. Md. Faisal Abdullah, while highlighting the importance of organizing the exhibition, said that the new generation needs to know the history of the freedom movement, because a strong nation and society can develop only on the foundation of the past. He appealed to researchers and especially school students to visit and observe the exhibition. Uday Kumar Thakur, Assistant Director of Archives and Md. Aslam, Dr. Bharti Sharma, Dr. Sharda Sharan, Dr. Rashmi Kiran, Ram Kumar Singh, Sarpanch Ram, Pallavi Anand, Ramashish Kumar, Pankaj Kumar made their important contribution in making the exhibition a success.