Birsa Commando Force

Last updated

The Birsa Commando Force is a rebel group in the Indian state of Jharkhand, The group was named after the 19th century tribal leader Birsa Munda, and was composed largely of tribal people from the Munda and Oraon communities. The group was active in the Chota Nagpur region of Jharkhand, and was known for its attacks on government and corporate targets in the region.

The Birsa Commando Force was founded in the mid-1990s, and was initially focused on fighting for the rights and interests of tribal communities in Jharkhand. The group was led by a man named Kundan Pahan, and was supported by a number of other tribal leaders and activists. In the early years of its existence, the Birsa Commando Force was involved in a number of clashes with the government, and was responsible for a number of bombings and other attacks. [1]

As the Birsa Commando Force grew in strength and influence, it began to focus more on extortion and extortion-related activities. The group began to demand money from corporations operating in the region, and carried out attacks on those who refused to pay. The Birsa Commando Force also became involved in the illegal arms trade, and was known for its possession of a large cache of weapons. [2]

Despite its efforts to fight for the rights of tribal communities, the Birsa Commando Force was widely criticized for its violent and criminal activities. The group was eventually declared a banned organization by the government of India, and many of its members were arrested or killed in clashes with security forces.[ citation needed ]

In the early 2000s, the Birsa Commando Force began to experience significant internal divisions, and several splinter groups emerged. These splinter groups were often at odds with each other and with the original Birsa Commando Force, leading to further violence and instability in the region. [3] [4] [5]

In addition to its clashes with the government and its involvement in criminal activities, the Birsa Commando Force was also criticized for its treatment of women. The group was known for forcing women to marry its members and for other forms of sexual violence. This led to widespread condemnation of the group, and contributed to its decline in popularity and influence. [6] [7]

Despite its reputation for violence and criminal activity, the Birsa Commando Force continued to have a significant presence in the Chota Nagpur region for several years. However, in the late 2000s, the group began to decline in strength and influence, and many of its members either surrendered or were arrested. Today, the Birsa Commando Force is largely inactive, and its impact on the political landscape of Jharkhand has significantly diminished. Despite its decline in strength and influence, the legacy of the Birsa Commando Force remains significant in the Chota Nagpur region and beyond. The group's violent and criminal activities have had a lasting impact on the region, and the issues that led to its formation, including poverty, inequality, and a lack of development, continue to be pressing concerns. [8] [9]

The Birsa Commando Force has also been the subject of significant media attention and academic research, with many analysts and observers examining the group's origins, activities, and impact. Some have argued that the Birsa Commando Force was a response to longstanding grievances and injustices faced by tribal communities in Jharkhand, while others have criticized the group's tactics and methods. Regardless of one's perspective, it is clear that the Birsa Commando Force played a significant role in the history and politics of Jharkhand, and its legacy continues to be felt in the region today. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jharkhand</span> State in eastern India

Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It has an area of 79,716 km2 (30,779 sq mi). It is the 15th largest state by area, and the 14th largest by population. Hindi is the official language of the state. The city of Ranchi is its capital and Dumka its sub-capital. The state is known for its waterfalls, hills and holy places; Baidyanath Dham, Parasnath, Dewri and Rajrappa are major religious sites. The state was formed on 15 November 2000, after carving out what was previously the southern half of Bihar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ranchi</span> Capital of East Indian state Jharkhand

Ranchi is the capital of the Indian state of Jharkhand. Ranchi was the centre of the Jharkhand movement, which called for a separate state for the tribal regions of South Bihar, northern Odisha, western West Bengal and the eastern area of what is present-day Chhattisgarh. The Jharkhand state was formed on 15 November 2000 by carving out the Bihar divisions of Chota Nagpur and Santhal Parganas. Ranchi has been selected as one of the hundred Indian cities to be developed as a smart city under PM Narendra Modi's flagship Smart Cities Mission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birsa Munda</span> Indian tribal freedom fighter and religious leader

Birsa Mundapronunciation  was an Indian tribal freedom fighter, and folk hero who belonged to the Munda tribe. He spearheaded a tribal religious millenarian movement that arose in the Bengal Presidency in the late 19th century, during the British Raj, thereby making him an important figure in the history of the Indian independence movement. The revolt mainly concentrated in the Munda belt of Khunti, Tamar, Sarwada and Bandgaon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santal people</span> Ethnic group of India, Nepal and Bangladesh

The Santal or Santhal are an Austroasiatic speaking Munda ethnic group in South Asia. Santals are the largest tribe in the Jharkhand and West Bengal state of India in terms of population and are also found in the states of Odisha, Bihar and Assam. They are the largest ethnic minority in northern Bangladesh's Rajshahi Division and Rangpur Division. They have a sizeable population in Nepal. The Santals speak Santali, the most widely spoken Munda languages of Austro-asiatic language family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adivasi</span> Collective term for the tribes of India who are considered indigenous people of India

The Adivasi refers to ethnolinguistic minorities of the East, Central, West and South India The term is a Sanskrit word coined in the 1930s by political activists to give the tribal people an indigenous identity by claiming an indigenous origin. The term is also used for ethnic minorities, such as Chakmas of Bangladesh, Adivasi Janjati of Nepal, and Vedda of Sri Lanka. The Constitution of India does not use the word Adivasi, instead referring to Scheduled Tribes and Janjati. The government of India does not officially recognise tribes as indigenous people. The country ratified the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 107 on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples of the United Nations (1957) and refused to sign the ILO Convention 169. Most of these groups are included in the Scheduled Tribe category under constitutional provisions in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Democratic Front of Boroland</span> Armed separatist outfit of India

The National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) was an armed separatist outfit which sought to obtain a sovereign Boroland for the Bodo people. It is designated as a terrorist organisation by the Government of India.

Ho is a Munda language of the Austroasiatic language family spoken primarily in India by about 1.04 million people per the 2001 census. Ho is a tribal language. It is spoken by the Ho, Munda, Kolha and Kol tribal communities of Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Assam and is written with the Warang Citi script. Devanagari, Latin script, Odia script and Telugu script are sometimes used, although native speakers are said to prefer a Ho script. The latter script was invented by Ott Guru Kol Lako Bodra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kurukh people</span> Indigenous (scheduled) tribe from India

The Kurukh or Oraon, also spelt Uraon, or Dhangar are a Dravidian speaking ethnolinguistic group inhabiting Chhotanagpur Plateau and adjoining areas - mainly the Indian states of Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha and Chhattisgarh. They predominantly speak Kurukh as their native language, which belongs to the Dravidian language family. In Maharashtra, Oraon people are also known as Dhangad or Dhangar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Munda people</span> Ethnic group of India, Bangladesh and Nepal

The Munda people are an Austroasiatic speaking ethnic group of the Indian subcontinent. They predominantly speak the Mundari language as their native language, which belongs to the Munda subgroup of Austroasiatic languages. The Munda are found mainly concentrated in the south and East Chhotanagpur Plateau region of Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal. The Munda also reside in adjacent areas of Madhya Pradesh as well as in portions of Bangladesh, Nepal, and the state of Tripura. They are one of India's largest scheduled tribes. Munda people in Tripura are also known as Mura.

The Tea-garden community are multi ethnic groups of tea garden workers and their descendants in Assam. They are officially referred to as Tea-tribes by Government of Assam. They are the descendants of peoples brought by the British colonial planters as indentured labourers from the regions of present-day Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh into colonial Assam during 1860-90s in multiple phases to work in tea gardens. They are heterogeneous, multi-ethnic groups which includes many tribal and caste groups. They are found mainly in those districts of Upper Assam and Northern Brahmaputra belt where there is high concentration of tea gardens like Kokrajhar, Udalguri, Sonitpur, Biswanath,Nagaon, Golaghat, Jorhat, Sivasagar, Charaideo, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Lakhimpur. There is a sizeable population of the community in the Barak Valley region of Assam as well in the districts of Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi. The total population is estimated to be around 7 million of which estimated 4.5 million reside in residential quarters built inside 799 tea estates spread across tea growing regions of Assam. Another 2.5 million reside in the nearby villages spread across those tea growing regions. They are not a single ethnic group but consists of different ethnic group speaking dozens of languages and have different set of cultures. They speak several languages including Sora, Odia, Assam Sadri, Sambalpuri, Kurmali, Santali, Kurukh, Kharia, Kui, Chhattisgarhi, Gondi and Mundari. Assam Sadri, distinguished from Sadri language, serve as lingua franca among the community.

Kariya Munda is an Indian politician who served as Deputy Speaker of the 15th Lok Sabha. He has been a minister in the Government of India, serving in the governments led by the Janata Party in 1977 and by Bhartiya Janata Party from 1999 onwards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nagpuri language</span> Eastern Indo-Aryan language

Nagpuri is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in the Indian states of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Bihar. It is primarily spoken in the west and central Chota Nagpur plateau region. It is sometimes considered a dialect of Bhojpuri.

The region have been inhabited since the Stone Age. Copper tools from the Chalcolithic period have been discovered. This area entered the Iron Age during the mid-2nd millennium BCE.

Ranchi district is one among the twenty-four districts of the state of Jharkhand in Eastern India. This region was under the control of the Magadha Empire, then it was a part of the Mauryan Empire under Ashoka and later a part of the Gupta Empire. After the fall of the Gupta Empire a legendary king named Phanimukut established the Nagvanshi dynasty and controlled the Chota Nagpur plateau region for several centuries thereafter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christianity in Jharkhand</span>

Christians are a religious community residing in the Indian state of Jharkhand. As per 2011 Census of India, 4.3% of people in Jharkhand are Christians. Christians are majority in Simdega district of Jharkhand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ram Dayal Munda</span> DharmikGadhvi

Ram Dayal Munda, known as R. D. Munda, was an Indian scholar and regional music exponent. He was awarded the Padma Shri of the year 2010 for his contribution to the field of art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hemant Soren</span> Chief Minister of Jharkhand

Hemant Soren is an Indian politician from Jharkhand, who is currently the Chief Minister of Jharkhand. Previously, he had also served as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand from July 2013 to December 2014. He is also the president of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, a political party in Jharkhand. He represents Barhait constituency in the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly.

Below is given a chronological record of tribal and peasant revolts in India before independence from British rule in the 1947. The list covers those tribal uprisings that occurred during the period of British rule in India.

Sadan are the native Indo-Aryan-speaking ethnolinguistic groups of Chota Nagpur Plateau consist of Indian state of Jharkhand and neighbouring states who speak Nagpuri, Khortha, Panchpargania and Kurmali language as their native language.

Jhumur or Jhumar or Jhumair is a folk music of Sadanic language spoken by people of Chota Nagpur plateau, primarily in Jharkhand, southwestern region of West Bengal and northern part of Odisha. Also in the Tea State of Assam due to emigration. Jhumar songs are sung in various social events by aboriginal communities like Kuṛmi, Oraon, Chik Baraik, Bagal, Bhumij, Rajwar, Munda.

References

  1. Bureau, EastMojo News (2020-05-26). "Assam: Security forces nab 4 militants, arms & ammunition seized". EastMojo. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
  2. Borpujari, Priyanka. "'Nobody asks us why we took up arms': confessions of a former adivasi militant in Assam". Scroll.in. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
  3. "Birsa Commando Force seeks Adivasi council in Assam". www.mail-archive.com. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
  4. "1,152 Assam villages vulnerable to militant sway". The Hindu. 2009-08-18. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 2022-12-23.
  5. "Birsa Commando Force". TRAC. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
  6. "Birsa Commando Force". TIMES OF ASSAM. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
  7. "Centre to sign peace accord with Assam's tribal militants this month: Himanta". Rediff. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
  8. "1855 ultras lay down arms in Assam before Chidambaram". Rediff. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
  9. Guwahati, K. Anurag in. "Tribals to float national political party". Rediff. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
  10. "Huge decline in Northeast insurgency in five years". The Sunday Guardian Live. 2020-02-15. Retrieved 2022-12-23.