The 1907 Punjab unrests were a period of unrest in the British Indian province of

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

, principally around the Colonisation bill that was implemented in the province in 1906. This timeline has often been called the beginning of the freedom movement in Punjab. Important leaders of this movement include Ajit Singh, Het Thakkar, among others.

Colonisation Bill

The Colonisation Bill was passed in 1906. The

Punjab Land Alienation Act, 1900 The Punjab Land Alienation Act of 1900 was a piece of legislation introduced by the British Raj with the aim of limiting the transfer of land ownership in Punjab Province. It created an "agricultural tribes" category, the membership of which was ...

had already caused discontent among the elite urban classes, and the Colonisation Bill provided for the transfer of property of a person after he died the government if he had no heirs. The Government could sell the property to any public or private developer. This was completely against the social conditions prevailing in the region and hence was rejected by all sides.

Agitation

The agitation against these measures of the Government was led by Ajit Singh, Uncle of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, who called for "extreme measures". The first of the protests was organised in the

Chenab Colony The Punjab Canal Colonies is the name given to parts of western Punjab (region), Punjab which were brought under cultivation through the construction of canals and agricultural colonisation during the British Raj. The Punjab underwent an agricultu ...

, which was supposed to be the most affected by this bill. The first protest saw various organisations submitting memoranda to the government to redress their grievances, but the government failed to pay any heed to these documents. This agitation was followed by a protest at

Lyallpur Faisalabad, formerly known as Lyallpur, is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, second-largest city and primary List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, industrial center of the Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan ...

. These agitations led to the formation of secret societies like ''Anjuman-i- Muhibhan-i- Watan'', the founder of which was Ajit Singh, a Jat Sikh who was believed to have the backing of Lajpat Rai. This period also saw protests by the working class in the railways of Rawalpindi. This period saw mass agitations which finally ended in the deportation of Ajit Singh.

British Indian Army Mutiny

In 1907, two years after the

1905 Partition of Bengal The Partition of Bengal in 1905, also known as the First Partition of Bengal, was a territorial reorganization of the Bengal Presidency implemented by the authorities of the British Raj. The reorganization separated the largely Muslim eastern ...

British Indian Army The Indian Army was the force of British Raj, British India, until Indian Independence Act 1947, national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and ...

soldiers in the

6th Jat Light Infantry The6th Jat Light Infantry were an infantry regiment of the Bengal Army, later of the united British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1803, when they were the 1st Battalion, 22nd Bengal Native Infantry. Over the years they were know ...

and

10th Jats The 10th Jats were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1823, when they were known as the 1st Battalion, 33rd Bengal Native Infantry. Over the years they became known by a number of different titles. T ...

mutinied and sided with Bengali revolutionaries to take over the government treasury. The colonial government suppressed their revolt and several mutineers were sentenced to prison.Haryana Samvad
, Jan 2018.

References

Bibliography

*''The Indian Army and the Making of Punjab By Rajit K Mazumder.'' p. 203. Published by Orient Longman, 2003. *''The Punjab Disturbances of 1907: The Response of the British Government in India to Agrarian Unrest.'' N. Gerald Barrier. Modern Asian Studies, Vol. 1, No. 4 (1967), pp. 353–383 *''The Garrison State: The Military, Government and Society in Colonial Punjab.'' by Tai Yong Tan. p. 95. Published by SAGE, 2005. . *''The History of British India: A Chronology. by John F. Riddick.'' p. 92 Published by Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006. . Punjab Province (British India) History of agriculture in India 1907 in British India Indian independence movement Punjab Unrest, 1907 1907 in the British Empire Conflicts in 1907 {{India-hist-stub