Revolt & Aftermath · 1859–1860
Indigo Revolt
Peasants in Bengal refused to grow indigo for European planters who forced them into unfair contracts. The press and educated Bengalis backed them.
Causes
- Forced indigo cultivation under advance-loan contracts
- Very low prices paid to cultivators
- Violence and illegal detention by planters
Consequences
- Indigo Commission (1860) ruled peasants could not be forced to grow indigo
- Indigo cultivation in Bengal declined sharply
- Play 'Nil Darpan' (1860) exposed planter cruelty
Significance
An early example of peasant resistance supported by the educated middle class, foreshadowing later alliances.
Part of
Sources
- Sekhar Bandyopadhyay, From Plassey to Partition (Orient BlackSwan, 2004)
- Bipan Chandra et al., India's Struggle for Independence (Penguin, 1988)