Kol uprising

The Kol uprising, Kol rebellion, also known in British Indian records as the Kol mutiny was a revolt of the indigenous Kol people of Chhota Nagpur during 1829-1839 as a reaction to unfair treatment brought on by the systems of land tenure and administration that had been introduced by British powers in the area. The Kol people were joined by other communities including the Mundas, Oraons, Hos leading to some authors also calling it the Munda uprising.

The uprising was a reaction to the appointment of a Political Agent to the Government in South Bihar and recently ceded districts nearby around 1819. This resulted in many people moving into these areas which were the lands of numerous indigenous tribes. These tribes had no rulers and their lands were divided according to families that were bound by "parhas" or conferences. With the application of new land laws, the indigenous Kols were exploited by outsiders moving into the area and taking up agriculture and commercial activities that were alien to tribal culture. Many of the lands of the locals were taken away as securities for un-returned loans. The locals whose languages were unknown to the settlers were physically tortured and mistreated in a number of incidents. Another irritation was the taxation on the movement of products such as salt that were formerly freely moved. Corrupt official practices and lawlessness followed. The masses of common people, of whom the Kols were the largest in number, burnt the houses of the newly settled people in revenge.[1][2][3][4]

British historiography treated the rebellious tribals as bandits and treated it is a riot that was "successfully" suppressed by British forces.[5]