Amko Simko massacre

Amko-Simko Massacre
Location	Amko Simko Field, Simko Village, Sundargarh, Odisha
Date	April 25, 1939
Target	Crowd of Tribal peasants protesting unfair taxes
Attack type	Massacre
Deaths	49
Injured	86
Perpetrator	Rani Janaki Ratna, Lt. E. W. Marger
Assailants	British Indian Army
Motive	To arrest tribal leader Nirmal Munda

The Amko Simko massacre or Amco Simco firing took place on 25th April 1939, when Lt. E. W. Marger ordered troops of the British Indian Army to open fire on a crowd of tribal peasants resisting the arrest of their leader, Nirmal Munda in Simko village, Gangpur estate (now Birmitrapur, Sundergarh, Odisha).

On Tuesday, 25 April 1939, a crowd of Tribal peasants had gathered under the leadership of Nirmal Munda(a Freedom Fighter) at Amko-Simko field. The crowd was protesting against high taxes and denied land rights. Rani Janaki arrived at Simko village with a Political Agent, Lieutenant E. W. Marger, with the sole intent to arrest Nirmal Munda on the grounds of holding seditious meetings and assaulting a village chowkidar. The crowd was warned to hand over their leader, Nirmal Munda and disperse. However, the crowd of tribals armed with lathis, axes and other crude weapons resisted the arrest of their leader. Consequently, scuffles broke out and the police resorted to firing.

Background

Khuntkatti Rights

The term "Khunt" means lineage and "Katti" means the reclaimers.The Khuntkatti is a customary institution of the Munda tribe. This age-old system is found among the Mundas of Chhotangpur region. It provides collective ownership of land among families or lineage of the same killi(clan) inside the tribe. It gives the original settlers the ownership of land, water and forests. Until colonial rule, tribals used to enjoy complete freedom over their land. In 1765, Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II assigned the Diwani or revenue administration of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa to the East India Company. The Chhotanagpur region, thus, came under Company rule and subsequently British Raj. The new colonial government created laws that placed taxes on lands that had been cultivated by tribals for generations and reduced the Khuntkattidars to tenants of these lands, contrary to the Khuntkatti tradition where tribals were the owners of their lands. This was followed by a series of tribal rebellions allover the Chhotanagpur region, starting from the Tilka Manjhi revolt of 1784. Gangpur State came under the Chotanagpur states and was comprised mostly of Munda and Oraon tribals. The Mundas of Gangpur claimed and demanded Khuntkatti rights. Decades of uprisings and rebellions across Chhotanagpur forced the British government to pass the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act, 1908 which recognized and safeguarded the Mundari Khuntkatti system.

Land Revenue/Taxes

The Zamindari was land revenue system introduced by the British government which collected revenue from peasants through agents called zamindars. These zamindars were made owners of the land cultivated by peasants and were given the permission to collect tax or revenue from the peasants. In Chotanagpur, the zamindari system contradicted the Khuntkatti system causing major tribal uprisings and rebellions until 1908, when the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act was passed, which accepted the Khuntkatti rights. In 1856, Gangpur Estate fixed the land revenue at 5200 rupees and then it was raised to a sum of 15,000 rupees plus 3780 quintals of rice. The land revenue was again revised at 47,700 rupees in the year 1900. The first land revenue settlement of Gangpur was done in 1911 by settlement officer, C. W. E. Connoly. According to this settlement the annual revenue of Gangpur was fixed at 84,257 rupees. This 1911 settlement kept the higher lands with rocky soil known as Goda and Dheepa rent free. Such lands which were mostly spread in the Central and Eastern part of Gangpur were in the possession of tribals who enjoyed it free of rent. In exchange, the ryot(peasant and or tenant) had to provide free and forced labour to the state. This was known as Bethi or Begar. Connoly's settlement had a term of about ten years which expired in 1921. The Nuabadi settlement of 1923 fixed the land revenue at 1,10,257 rupees. The Upendra Ghose settlement followed by Inder Bilas Mukherjee which further revised and fixed the revenue at 2,02,273 rupees. The tribals were dissappointed about the increasing amount of taxes that they had to pay. For example, according to the 1911 settlement, tenants had to pay rupees 196 per acre of land; and the 1935 settlement increased it to rupees 280. It was observed that tenants in the neighboring district of Sambalpur had to pay only rupees 120 for similar land. Furthermore, it was realised that the bethi and begari system was only used for road repairs and other minor works. It was misused several times and was oppressive to the people. It caused great loss to the tribals, as they were often forced to leave their own cultivation during busy times, they couldn't make up for this loss throughout the year.

Before the Massacre

The Munda ryots of Dahijira did not pay rent and others supported them. In September 1935, the Mundas filed a petition with the agent to the Governor General protesting the exorbitant rates of rent. The refractory Mundas also filed several petitions before the Viceroy. Meanwhile, the local government was trying to pacify the rebels of Gangpur. The Tehsildar of Gangpur made rounds around the region persuading the tribal peasants to accept the taxes. The zamindar of Gangpur asked the GEL Church of Ranchi to influence the Mundas and stop them from agitation. The GEL Church sent a delegation that visited rebel villages and persuaded the tribal peasants to pay taxes. The queen, Rani Janaki Ratna toured these villages and requested the tribals to pay the taxes. Soon the Munda rebels started boycotting the meetings with the Rani. Eventually all persuasive actions to calm the rebellion failed. The zamindar resorted to stricter measures to pacify the rebellion. Criminal cases were started against the agitators. Warrants against some agitators with previous crimes were renewed; the lands of agitators were ordered to be confiscated. These measures couldn't stop the agitators, they made covert meetings and gradually Nirmal Munda became an important figure among agitators allover Gangpur.

In 1938, a non-rent campaign spread across Gangpur under the leadership of Nirmal Munda. On 9th February, 1939, the Queen convened a meeting at Sergipalli to listen to the grievances of the people and to induce them to make payment. Around four to five thousand people from 30 villages attended and presented a charter of demands. The popular demands included not only restitution of the land rent and forest rights of 1910 settlement but also abolition of “Choukidari Tax” and monopoly on the hides. Total abolition of “Bethi, Bheti, Rasad and Magan” was demanded. The non-rent campaign was strengthened with the help of christian Mundas, the Oraons and the Hindus of Gangpur. Bahadur Bhagat of Andali Jambahal, Tintush Munda and Yakub Gudia of Dahijira were prominenet leaders of this movement. The queen of Gangpur, Rani Janaki Rathna Maharjee, also known as the Regent Rani Saheba however refused to accept the Khuntkatti rights of tribals. Nirmal Munda of Bartoli village, a World War I veteran started a non-rent campaign against the British. Along with Bahadur Bhagat, Nirmal organized the Mundas of Gangpur to refuse to pay taxes. The agitation spread among the Mundas and Oraons throughout Gangpur in 1938 under the leadership of Nirmal Munda. The same year Nirmal Munda, Mansid Topno, Bhodra Munda went to Ranchi and sent a petition to Governor General Linlithgow. A copy of this petition was given to Jaipal Singh Munda, an Adivasi politician; he met the Governor General and demanded Khuntkatti rights and the remission of taxes. The Governor General summoned Rani Janaki Ratna to Delhi and advised her to resolve the issue peacefully. But the Queen paid no heed to the demands.

Massacre

The Durbar of Gangpur was finding the circumstances unfavourable and the situation was likely to aggravate further, the Durbar sought help from the political agent at Sambalpur to supress the rebels, and requisitioned the State Joint Police Force. On the 25th of April, 1939, Adivasis had gathered in Amko Simko under the leadership of Nirmal Munda. Assistant Political Agent Lt. E. W. Marger and Sub-Divisional Officer of Nagra accompanied with two platoons of troops under a British officer appeared at Amko Simko to arrest Nirmal Munda on charges of holding seditious meetings and assaulting a village chawkidar. The hundereds of tribals present at the meeting, armed with crude weapons resisted the arrest of their leader. Consequently, scuffles broke out between the police and the tribals. The police, unable to control the crowd, opened fire upon the agitators killing many and leaving several injured.

Some bodies were kept in military vans covered with tarpaulins and later, were thrown into the limekiln of Bisra Stone lime factory at Biramitrapur. Some bodies were given a mass burial at Brahmanmara, Birmitrapur. Nirmal Munda and several of his associates were arrested. He was sentenced to six years of imprisonment in Sundargarh and Sambalpur. He was released from Jail on 15th August, 1947.

Casualty

The total number of casualties is disputed. The Government of Odisha claims that 39 people had died and 50 were left injured. Non-official records say that nearly 50 people had been killed and about 100 were left injured. Dr. Mahtab, a notable leader from Odisha in the independence movement wrote in his autobiography, 'Sadhanara Pathe', that more than 300 people had died and 82 were injured in the Amko Simko firing.

Victims

There are no official government records specifying the names of victims. The following is a list of victims of the Amko Simko massacre, according to a thesis from Sambalpur University and the stone tablets placed by local tribals in memory of the victims.

List of victims of Amko Simko massacre

42 died on the spot, 4 died in jail and 3 were shot in jungle while fleeing.

• S. No.	Name	Village
  01	Mania Munda	Madhutola
  02	Phulmari Gunani (Kongadi)	Madhutola
  03	Lawdan Munda (Bodra)	Bhalulata
  04	Harun Munda (Lugun)	Simco
  05	Nathaniel Munda (Lugun)	Chanabahal
  06	Martin Munda (Horo)	Khairbahar
  07	Nathaniel Munda (Lugun)	Khairbahar
  08	Christochit Munda (Horo)	Khairbahar
  09	Johan Munda (Dang)	Bartoli
  10	Sudan Munda (Bage)	Bartoli
  11	Anasi Munda (Topno)	Bartoli
  12	Dhanmasi Khadia(Bilung)	Paterpur
  13	Puanuel Oram (Kujur)	Bilaigarh
  14	Khuyun Munda (Surin)	Bilaigarh

• S. No.	Name	Village
  15	Ahlad Oram (Toppo)	Dhodibahar
  16	Bhodro Oram (Barwa)	Dhodibahar
  17	Dhuran Oram (Lakra)	Kadobahal
  18	Buchku Oram (Kachhua)	Dukatoli
  19	Jeetu Oram (Lakra)	Bhaghwakhandi
  20	Bhulu Oram (Tirkey)	Dukatoli
  21	Christ Biswas Oram	Jhunmur
  22	Dhanmasi Oram (Dhanwar)	Jhunmur
  23	Mansid Oram (Kindo)	Jhunmur
  24	Daud Oram (Minz)	Jhunmur
  25	Francis Kerketta	Jhunmur
  26	Bano Khadia	Jhunmur
  27	Christotem Jojo	Ranchi
  28	Christodhan Munda (Bage)	Ghogar

• S. No.	Name	Village
  29	Paulus Oram (Dhanwar)	Ghogar
  30	Sadi Munda (Hanuman)	Ghogar
  31	Sukhram Munda (Horo)	Ghogar
  32	Jhari Khadia (Kerketta)	Bilaigarh
  33	Bhutlu Khadia (Indwar)	Ambagaon
  34	Dhuran Oram (Lakra)	Dhodibahar
  35	Manmasi Munda (Bhengra)	Mahuatoli
  36	Nichodim Munda (Surin)	Mahuatoli
  37	Mund Khadia (Dung Dung)	Bilaigarh
  38	Jhankola Bhengra	Ghogar
  39	Gaja Oram (Tirkey)	Baniguini
  40	Samuel Oram (Tirkey)	Rengalbahar
  41	Ohas Munda (Horo)	Gopur
  42	Daud Munda (Bage)	Gopur

• Persons who died in Jail

  S. No.	Name	Village
  43	Bhawa Oram (Tirkey)	Nuagaon
  44	Khusus Oram	Rajgangpur
  45	Suleman Munda (Dang)	Jhunumbira
  46	Christonand Munda (Lugun)	Purnapani

• Persons who died in jungle

  S. No.	Name
  47	Jaimasi Munda (Surin)
  48	Jachrias Munda (Soy)
  49	Etwa Munda (Surin)

Aftermath

Odia Newspapers like ‘Samaj’, ‘Deshakata’ and ‘Nabeen’ condemned the inhuman firing. Dhananjay Mohanty, a Congress worker and freedom fighter from Gangpur put great effort in bringing this incident to limelight. Some days after the firing, Gandhiji with Kasturba Gandhi and Mahadev Desai were travelling to Calcutta when the train halted at Kalunga station; Dhananjaya along with Shashibhushan Panigrahi and Ganesh Singh got into the train and informed Gandhiji in detail about the firing at Amko Simko which greatly shocked Gandhi. Dhananjay's effort helped bring this incedent to public notice; Jawaharlal Nehru and Laxminarayan Mishra wanted to visit the site of firing but were stopped by the police. Nehru decided to organise a satyagraha against this, but Gandhiji advised Nehru that starting a satyagraha is a Garhjat state will be unwise.

Nirmal Munda was awarded a Tamrapatra (bronze plaque) as a freedom fighter by Indira Gandhi in 1972. by The Tribals have placed a memorial stone at Simko and every year on the 25th of April pay their floral tribute to the victims of the massacre. Odisha State government has given the Amko Simko massacre site a tourism status. The local tribals aren't satisfied with this work as this incedent is gradually being forgotten and has been left out of history books.

There is debate on the issue of whether to treat this incedent as an agrarian movement or a movement as a part of the Indian freedom struggle. The Odisha District Gazetteers mention the Amko Simko firing as an agrarian agitation which was later eulogized by the Congress leaders as examples of bravery and valiant resistance by the tribals to the oppressive British Raj in order to inspire them to join the freedom movement.

Due to inconsistent documentation, varying data has been retrieved from sources on the same incedent. Different sources mention the political agent's name with different spellings such as... The number of casualties is also unclear as some reports mention the bodycount as 28, some mention it as high as 300.