Indigo Movement in India (Bengal)
To see first part Click Here
To see second part Click Here
The agitation covered a large area
of Bengal, but it has no central leadership, Area-wise leadership was emerged,
among them Mr, Bisnu Chandra Biswas
and Mr. Digamber Biswas of Chowgacha In Jessore were
very much eminent, The peasants of Chowgacha attacked on some indigo Khuties
and ransacked them, Most of the indigo Businessmen flew away left their Khuties
and properties, Some Businessmen died sudden attack, Thus the Indigo
cultivation in Jessore, Khulna, Nadia, 24 Pargana, Pabna and Faridpure was
almost collapsed,
Indigo Tree
In that time, The Lord of Bengal province Mr. Grant went in launch on Kumer and
Kaliganga rivers in Jessore and Faripure area as his un-official travel, The
Lord saw thousands of peasants on the bank of Kumer river, who asked the
captain to land the launch at the bank, The Lard was astonished to see the
gathering and felt fear anticipating danger, He ordered captain not to land the
launch, Then the agitator peasants jumped in river and caught the launch,
Eventually the Lord was bound to lanpeasans asked the Lard to declare stopping
indigo cultivation in Bengal, The Lard was compelled to promise to declare
stopping indigo cultivation,
The British Govt, made an ‘Indigo Commission’ for
reviewing the actual situation, after getting report, the British Govt, made an
Act, where an article was “Indigo cultivation is hereby forbidding without will
of the peasants” Thus the agitation ended with a great success for that time,
after proclamation of this act, most of the factories were declared closed,
only some were continuing with the consent of the peasants,
In 1889, one
indigo Businessmen Mr. Dumbell of
Bijlia area of Jessore again started oppression on the peasants, the peasants
of 48 villages gathered for agitation under the leadership of Zaminder Mr. Bondhu Bihari and his brother Mr. Bashanta Kumer of soshtibir area,
the peasants attacked the Khuti and bound to surrender Mr.Dumbell, Then British
Govt. formed one ‘Arbitrary Board’ for reviewing the situation of indigo
cultivation, getting information from
Bengal, The board considered the situation of peasants movement logical and suggested for
increasing price of raw indigo,
Indigo Tree
Meanwhile, the synthetic indigo was invented in
1895, So automatically indigo cultivation lost its priority and almost all
factories went in lay-out, Eventually indigo cultivation and its Business were
closed perpetually in Bengal,