History · Ch 9 — Colonialism and the Countryside — Exploring Official Archives
Account books are burnt
Account books are burnt
The revolt that began in the village of Supa in Poona district on 12 May 1875 was not a random outburst. It was a deliberate, organised attack on the very records of debt — the bahi khatas (account books) and debt bonds. The ryots (peasants) gathered, demanded these documents from shopkeepers and moneylenders, burnt them, looted grain shops, and in some cases set fire to the houses of the sahukars (moneylenders).
Supa was a large village and a market centre, home to many shopkeepers and moneylenders. The attack began there and spread rapidly. From Poona it moved to Ahmednagar, and over the next two months it covered an area of 6,500 square kilometres. More than thirty villages were affected. Everywhere the pattern was identical: sahukars were attacked, account books burnt, and debt bonds destroyed. Terrified, the sahukars fled their villages, often leaving their property behind.
British officials saw the spectre of 1857 in this spreading revolt. They responded with force. Police posts were set up in villages to frighten the peasants into submission. Troops were called in quickly. In the end, 951 people were arrested and many were convicted. It took several months to bring the countryside under control.
A newspaper report from the Native Opinion (6 June 1876), quoted in the Report of the Native Newspapers of Bombay, gives a vivid picture of the ryots' methods. They first placed spies at the boundaries of their villages to watch for government officers. If any officer approached, the spies gave timely warning and the offenders dispersed. When the coast was clear, they assembled in a body, went to the houses of their creditors, and demanded the surrender of bonds and other documents. If refused, they threatened assault and plunder. …
Source 6 — On that day in Supa. On 16 May 1875, the District Magistrate of Poona wrote to the Police Commissioner (recorded by the Deccan Riots Commission):
On arrival at Supa on Saturday 15 May I learnt of the disturbance. One house of a moneylender was burnt down; about a dozen were forcibly broken into and completely gutted of their content. Account papers, bonds, grains, country cloth were burnt in the street where heaps of ashes are still to be seen. The chief constable apprehended 50 persons. Stolen property worth Rs 2000 was recovered. The estimated loss is over Rs 25,000. Moneylenders claim it is over 1 lakh. …
Source 7 — A newspaper report. A report titled "The ryot and the moneylender", from Native Opinion (6 June 1876), quoted in the Report of the Native Newspapers of Bombay:
They (the ryots) first place spies on the boundaries of their villages to see if any Government officers come, and to give timely intimation of their arrival to the offenders. They then assemble in a body and go to the houses of their creditors, and demand from them a surrender of their bonds and other documents, and threaten them in case of refusal with assault and plunder. If any Government officer happens to approach the villages where the above is taking place, the spies give intimation to the offenders and the latter disperse in time. …