On 16 May, 1875 the district magistrate of Poona wrote to the police commissioner: On arrival at Supa

Question

Read the following passage carefully and answers the Questionss given below;

On 16 May, 1875 the district magistrate of Poona wrote to the police commissioner: On arrival at Supa on Saturday 15, May 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. 25000. Moneylenders claim is over 1 lakh.

(i) Where and how did the Deccan riots start?

(ii) What steps did the British took to quell the revolt?

(iii) State two reasons why peasants revolted?

Answer 1

(i) The riot started from Supa, a large village in Poona district. It was market centre where many shopkeepers and moneylenders lived. On 12 May, 1875 riots from the surrounding rural areas attacked the shopkeepers and demanded their Bahikhatas and debt bonds. They burnt the Khatas and looted grain shops.

(ii) The British established police station in the village reinforcements were rushed to the Deccan. 95% people were arrested and many were convicted.

(iii) High revenue demand and rigid system of collection angered the peasants, the moneylenders manipulating laws and forging accounts.