Struggle for an Adivasi state

In 1912, the Bengal Presidency was partitioned to create the Bihar and Orissa Province. However, within this new province, there existed a large Adivasi population with its distinct culture, and many grievances with both the British and non-tribal populations. Thus, in 1912 itself, the demand for a separate tribal state was articulated for the first time at St Columba’s College, Hazaribagh.

Over the next few years, this demand would gain momentum. The Simon Commission, mandated to report on constitutional reforms in India, gave it official credence in 1930. It observed: “The province of Bihar and Orissa… is the most artificial unit of all the Indian provinces. It was formed by bringing under a single administration three areas which differ markedly, not only in physical features, but in many social, linguistic and cultural characteristics.”

While Orissa was carved out in 1936, Adivasis’ demands remained unheard. In 1938 the Adivasi Mahasabha was formed to continue the struggle, with Jaipal Singh Munda (1903-70), former captain of the Indian hockey team, emerging as its tallest leader.

The problem of Kharsawan’s merger with Orissa

Kharsawan was a small princely state, less than 400 sq km in area, lying to the west of Jamshedpur. At the time of Independence, Kharsawan, alongside 24 other princely states in eastern India, decided to accede to the Union of India and join the state of Orissa. After all, Kharsawan and neighbouring Saraikela (which today form the Seraikela Kharsawan district in Jharkhand), had more Odia speakers than Hindi speakers.

But most Adivasis did not support this merger. They also did not want to join Bihar — the alternative option. What they wanted was a separate Adivasi state. In protest, a huge meeting was called at Kharsawan on January 1, 1948, the day when the merger was to take place. This was also the day of the weekly haat in the town. Jaipal Munda himself was supposed to be present and address the crowd.

“It was on his [Munda’s] call that more than 50 thousand tribals gathered in Kharsawan,” veteran journalist Anuj Kumar Sinha wrote in Unsung Heroes of Jharkhand Movement (2017). The crowd comprised young and old, men and women, those from nearby villages and those living hundreds of kilometres away. While the merger of Kharsawan was a major issue, many had come to simply catch a glimpse of Jaipal Munda.

Echoes of Jallianwala Bagh

The sheer size and enthusiasm of the crowd spooked the Orissa military police, which had taken charge of law and order in the town. Keep in mind, this was the time when princely states from across the country were being integrated with the Union of India — some peacefully, while others with force. This created a situation where the smallest spark could trigger something horrendous. That is exactly what happened on January 1, 1948.

On the day of the massacre, Kharsawan resembled a “police camp”, Sinha wrote. Amidst this, the 50,000-strong crowd gathered, raised their demands, and waited eagerly for Jaipal Munda to show up. Moreover, many more were shopping at the nearby haat. Kharsawan, which had a population of less than 7,000 in 2001, was full to the brim.

However, due to some reason, Munda could not show up. Many believe that his mere presence could have averted the tragedy that followed. The crowd was restive and pretty much surrounded by the police. Suddenly, the cops opened fire with their Sten guns. “People were constantly getting shot at… By the time the firing stopped, the entire ground was littered with dead bodies,” Sinha wrote.

There was a well near the spot where the massacre took place and the police started disposing of dead bodies in it. After the well was filled with bodies, the rest were taken to the jungle and dumped there. Yet, those injured probably had it even worse.

“It was the winter season. A few unconscious people kept lying there in the cold, shivering,” Sinha wrote. As hunger and thirst crept in, many were denied treatment until the next day.

Aftermath

To date, there is no consensus regarding just how many lives were lost in the massacre. The then Orissa government confirmed only 35 dead, a number which was published in The Statesman two days later — the headline read ‘35 Adibasis Killed in Kharsavan’.

However, actual numbers are likely to have been far higher. In Memoir of a Bygone Era (2000), PK Deo, a former Lok Sabha MP and the last ruler of Kalahandi, stated that at least 2,000 Adivasis were killed, and many more were likely injured.

As to who was responsible for ordering the massacre, there is also no clarity. “Several committees were made, investigations carried out, but no report came out. The world knows about the villain of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, but the Reginald Dyer behind the Kharsawan massacre hasn’t been unmasked, even today,” Sinha wrote.

Today, a memorial stands at the marketplace in Kharsawan, which some have described as a “political pilgrimage” site in the state. State leaders such as Arjun Munda, Raghubar Das, and Hemant Soren have visited the memorial on New Year’s Day through the years.