Martyrs
Immortal Martyrs
In Shillong there is a tall three faced Martyr’s Column in memory of three immortal martyrs’ whose names are written in gold in the annals of our struggle for freedom from the yoke of British Colonialists. They are U Tirot Sing, U Kiang Nongbah, Pa Togan Sangma, who came from the three hills of Meghalaya – Khasi, Jaintia and Garo.
U Tirot Sing:
After concluding the Treaty of Yandabu in 1826, the British had the control over the Brahmaputra valley. They had already occupied the Surma valley by becoming the ‘Diwan’ of Bengal in 1765. Now the British wanted a strategic road to link up these two valleys under their occupation. The construction of the strategic road was possible only through the Khasi Hills. The Khasi Hills were also considered suitable for setting up sanatoria and cantonment. The PoliticalAgent of the British, David Scot approached U Tirot Sing, the king of Khadsawphra Syiemship for construction of the road project through his kingdom. David Scot promised U Tirot Sing that if the project was agreed upon, U Tirot Sing would be allowed complete control over Bordwar and that free trade would flourish along the proposed road. U Tirot Sing convened a session of his Durbar in which the matter was discussed for two day and two nights. David Scot who was invited to witness the proceedings was struct with the decency, decorum and the quality of the debate. At last when David Scot gave up all hopes, the Durbar agreed to his proposal. Soon a British garrison with labourers for the construction of the road was posted at Nongkhlaw. News came that the British army at Guwahati and Sylhethad been reinforced. U Tirot Sing sensed the foul trick of the British to grab ultimately the entire hill territory lying between the Surma valley and the Brahmaputra valley. Armed by the eventuality, U Tirot Sing convened the Durbar and with its decisionserved a notice to the British to quit Nongkhlaw, but the British did not pay any heed. Then on May 5, 1829 U Tirot Sing – Mon Bhut, Lorshan Jarain and Khein Kongor. They avoided frontal attacks and reverted to hit and run tactics. Even the Khasi folkwomen fought guerrilla warfare under the exemplary leadership of Ka Phan Nonglait. U Tirot Sing was an able commander and diplomat. He rallied the other Khasi and Jaintia kings behind him to oust the British from the land. He also tried to contact the Bhotiyas, Singphos and Khamtis as also the former Ahom kings of Assam. Subsequently on January 13, 1833 U Tirot Sing was captured by the British treacherously at a peace talk arranged by the British. He was offered his kingdom back if he would accept sovereignty of the British, which he declined scornfully. He was then sent to Dacca where he died a martyr within two years of his subjudication. At the time of his death in exile, his parting words to his attendants were : “ Go back home and tell them that U Tirot Sing lived and died a King” This is a gallant saga of a patriot of patriots who laid down his life for the cause of his country and its people. At Mairang a Memorial Stone was laid in his memory on March 29, 1954 – 120 years after his death.
U Kiang Nongbah:
Raja Rajendra Sing of Jaintiapur, a Jaintia king was deprived of his kingdom through deceit. His territory in the plains wea taken away by the British, and he was left with the option to rule over his people in the hills which offered little scope for earning revenue for conducting administration. Hence, he declined kingship. The Britishers then offered rurlership to the villag headmen, Dalois and Sirdars. This worked well from 1835 to 1853, though the people secretly bore a grudge against the British. Then the British imposed a house-tax in 1860. This met with resentment. Within afew months, the people rose in rebellion. But the same was easily put down, as the rebels were not organised. Towards the close of 1860 income tax was also levied in addition to the house-tax. There was an apprehension in the air that tax would also be levied on betel and betel-nut. Imposition of these taxes created turmoil amongst the Jaintias and they rose in a fierce second rebellion in 1862. The magnitude of the upsurge was so much that as many as seven regiments and detachments of troops were put into action to surpress it. Jowai which was besieged by the rebels for about 3 weeks was thus reoccupied amidst havy casualties. The leader and guiding spirit in this rebellion was a young man, U Kiang Nongbah. In the first rebellion he kept his identity secret and thus avoided his arrest. He was extremely shrewd and a great orgainser. He contacted all the Dalois and Sirdars without causing any suspicion. He managed to hoodwink the British Intelligence Service. They had no trace about his movements and activities. Yet, ultimately he was not successful because of the superior might of the British. In the unequal fight that ensued, hundreds of Jaintias were killed and U Kiang Nongbah was captured through deceit and hanged publicly to strike terror into the hearts of the Jaintias on December 30, 1862 in a barbaric manner. When he was put to the gallows, he said, in a clear voice: “If my face turns eastward when I die on the rope, we shall be free again within a hundred years. If it turns westwards, we shall be enslaved forever” How prophetic his words were, for his face turned eastward and India became free within a hundred years!
Pa Togan Sangma:
In 1835, the British conquered the Jaintia kingdom. The Khasis were also subjugated a little later. In 1862, the fierce rebellion of the Jaintias led by U kiang Nongbah was put down. Now the British wanted to establish their hegemony in the Garo Hills. In December 1872, the British sent out battalions to Garo Hills to establish their control in the region. The attack was conducted from three sides – south, east and west.The Garo warriors confronted them at Rongrenggiri with their spears, swords and shields. The battle that ensued was absolutely uneven, as the garos did not have guns or motars which the British army had. Togan Sangma, a youngman was in command of the valiant Garo worriors. He fe4ll fighting with unmatched heroism and courage in December, 1872. Thus came to an end of the Garo martyr, Pa Togan Sangma who fought the British to the last drop of his blood. He died but his name lives on, it still rings in the hearts of all Garos, even this day. No details about him are found in the chronicles of the British, but his name is a household word in the Garo Hills. Pa Togan Sangma is immortalised at the martyr’s column in Shillong, where his name is enshrined along with U Tirot Sing and U Kiang Nongbah, the gallant heros of the Khasis and the Jaintias.
