On 7 March 1922, the British opened fire on tribals protesting in the now state of Gujarat, killing over 1,200 people. As Boris Johnson begins his two-day trip from Ahmedabad, there are growing voices that he should address the matter
A memorial was built in Gujarat in 2003 to mark the Pal-Dadhvav massacre. News18 Gujarati
British prime minister Boris Johnson’s visit to India, which he is starting off from Ahmedabad in Gujarat, has come under a cloud.
He faces calls to apologise for a colonial-era massacre, which historians call “bigger than the Jallianwala Bagh” massacre.
Also read: From defence to trade, what’s on the agenda for Boris Johnson’s India trip
We explain what was the Pal-Dadhvav massacre, where as many as 1,2000 tribal revolutionaries fell to British bullets.
The massacre
The tragedy took place on 7 March 1922, in the Pal-Chitariya and Dadhvaav villages of Sabarkantha district, then part of Idar state (Gujarat).
History records show that a number of tribal people led by Motilal Tejawat had gathered on the banks of Heir river to protest against the land revenue system and laws related to Jagirdar and Rajwada imposed by the British rulers.
Tejawat, who belonged to Koliyari village in the Mewad region of Rajasthan, had also mobilised Bhils from Kotda Chhavni, Sirohi, and Danta to participate. It is reported that the impact of the protest was felt in Vijaynagar, Dadhvaav, Poshina and Khedbrahma, which are now talukas of Sabarkantha; the Aravalli districts, Banaskantha and Danta of Banaskantha district; and Kotda Chhavni, Dungarpur, Chittor, Sirohi, Banswada and Udaipur of Rajasthan, all of which were then princely states.
Tejawat was wanted by the British and had even founded the Mewad Bhil Corps (MBC), a paramilitary force, to nab him. When they heard about Tejawat’s presence at the protest in Gujarat, they reached the spot.
As per oral accounts, the tribals started raising slogans of ‘We will not pay the tax’ in their native language.
This irked MBC commanding officer, HG Sutton, who ordered his men to fire upon them.
Following his orders, around 1,200 tribals were reportedly killed on that fateful day. It is also said that wells in the area were filled with the bodies of the tribal people. According to the Gujarat state government, “Like a battlefield, the entire area was filled with corpses.”
Two wells, it added, were “overflowing with bodies”.
As per British records, some 22 people were killed. However, the Bhils believe that 1,200-1,500 of them died.
This incident took place just two years after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Punjab on 13 April 1919, when General Reginald Edward Dyer’s forces opened fire on peaceful protesters, killing around 1,000 people.
However, very little has been written or spoken of about the Gujarat tragedy.
Republic Day parade tableau
In January, the event found some resonance when the massacre was depicted on Gujarat’s tableau for Republic Day.
The R-Day tableau showed a seven-foot statue of Tejawat. It also had a statue of British officers, including Sutton shooting at the tribals, and the two wells. A song describing Tejawat as ‘Koliyari no Vanio Gandhi’ was sung at the tableau.
Calls to apologise
Motilal Tejawat’s grandson, Mahendra, was quoted as telling AFP that Johnson, who has landed in Ahmedabad, should apologise for the killings. “It was the British rule at the time when these killings happened so, if the British PM is coming here, he must apologise.”
Mahendra added, “My grandfather was only running a campaign for the poor, harmless and illiterate tribals. He (Boris Johnson) must express regret if he feels what happened to the defenceless tribals was wrong.”
However, Arun Vaghela, head of Gujarat University’s history department, says there is little chance that Johnson would address the issue.
He is of the opinion that as the victims of this massacre were tribals, it has found very little prominence or resonance even in Indian society. “Tribals are at the bottom of Indian social pyramid. Had something like that happened anywhere else, it would have been highlighted by the mainstream press and politicians for a long time,” he told AFP.
There are also some who believe that maybe it’s time for us to move on. Veteran journalist Vishnu Pandya was quoted telling AFP, “The British prime minister who is coming here wasn’t even born at the time and he wouldn’t know anything about the incident. What is done is done, it’s history and we need to look ahead.”
With inputs from agencies
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