They struggled for their country to free it from the clutches of British Empire, but it took more than 67 years of relentless yet non-violent struggle after Independence to obtain what had been taken away forcibly by British Government for being part of the Civil Disobedience Movement.
The State Government today handed over authentic land documents to descendents of around 48 Tana Bhagats while another 34 will get documents from respective block offices. The land documents were given by Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Martyr’s Day observed in remembrance of Mahatma Gandhi who is revered by Tana Bhagats.
“Finally our struggle paid off,” pointed out Thembu Tana Bhagat. Documents pertaining to around 618.45 acres of lands in four blocks — lapung (131.97 acres), Mandar (81.25 acres), Burhmu (122.55 acres) and Chanho (126.67 acres) — of Ranchi were today handed over to the descendents of Tana Bhagats. The followers of Mahatma Gandhi were clamouring for the title of their ancestral land most of which was taken away by Britishers and auctioned subsequently. Interestingly, some Tana Bhagats were given land documents which were still in the name of their ancestors while some received updated records of lands. “Although the land was in my possession but I had no authentic document to claim title of the land,” said Bandhan Tana Bhagat, adding “the land has been transferred to my name after mutation.”
In the absence of authentic land documents the Tana Bhagats had to rely on agriculture for their sustenance while they watched other community’s trade off their properties for better avenues of livelihood and achieve better standard of living. The Tana Bhagats staged protests at different points of time at Ranchi to raise their demands. “Our loan applications were turned down by banks because we could not produce land documents. We could not use our properties even for ourselves,” maintained Thembu.
The Tana Bhagats, ardent followers of the Mahatma, had sent representations to almost all major political figures, including Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi in 2012 to draw attention towards their demands. Gathered to pay obeisance to Mahatma on 66th death anniversary, the Tana Bhagats were moved by the State Govern-ment’s effort to restore them as the real owner of their lands.
Interestingly, the Tana Bhagats had been actively involved in the Civil Disobedience Movement, inviting ire of the oppressive British Government. The British government had auctioned more than 4,000 acres of land belonging to around 850 Tana Bhagat families and most of them are still awaiting restoration of land rights, claimed a Tana Bhagat.
Incidentally, the Tana Bhagats who belong to Oraon tribe shunned agricultural activities to save cows and oxen from cruelty and gradually moved away from land to other professions. The Tana Bhagats became part of freedom struggle in 1921 and were influenced by Gandhian philosophy of non-violence hence lead Gandhian way of life. They opposed rent payments which led the British Government to confiscate their land and auction it to obtain rent.
