About 60kms from the steel city JAMSHEDPUR, the tribal-dominated town is KHARSAWAN.That day was the weekly haat day.The ODISHA government had converted the entire area into a police camp.
ODISHA Government wanted to merge Saraikela and Kharsawan in Odisha state because of the presence of oriya speaking people in majority in these towns and the kings here also agreed but the tribal people of the area neither wanted to meet in Odisha nor in Bihaar. Their demand was for a separate state for adivasis that is today's JHARKHAND state.
That day thousands of people of tribal society had gathered there for the protest, and the police pulled a line and told them not to cross it. The leader of the movement was Jaipal Singh Munda, but he himself did not reach Kharsawan that day.
Amidst the sloganeering, people could not understand and suddenly there was a sound of bullet. A large number of people were killed. It is heard that the tribals first attacked with arrows and then firing began.
After the incident, martial law was imposed in the area, probably the first martial law in independent India.
In those days, the leaders of Bihar had an important place in Indian politics and they also did not wanted this merger. In such situation, the effect of this incident was that the merger of the area into Odisha was stopped.
This place became known as the KHARSAWAN MARTYR SITE overtime after the incident. On January 1, tribal people come here, worship and pay tribute to the martyrs.
WHO WAS KHARSAWAN'S GENERAL DYER?
The Kharsawan firing is compared to the Jallianwala bagh massacre. Till date there is no concrete information of how many people died in the firing. Several investigation comities were also formed, but no report on this incident was published or announced. Who is the general dyer of the Kharsawan firing, it has not been revealed even after so many years.
SOURCES -BBC NEWS HINDI https://www.bbc.com/hindi/india-46725260
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