In the Sabarkantha district of Gujarat, a more horrific massacre than Jallianwala Bagh was committed by the British, and about 1,200 tribals were martyred.
- On the 100th anniversary of this unknown historical event, the Gujarat government highlighted it through tableaux, named as 'Gujarat's tribal revolutionaries', at the Republic Day Parade.
Context
In the Sabarkantha district of Gujarat, a more horrific massacre than Jallianwala Bagh was committed by the British, and about 1,200 tribals were martyred.
- On the 100th anniversary of this unknown historical event, the Gujarat government highlighted it through tableaux, named as 'Gujarat's tribal revolutionaries', at the Republic Day Parade.
About
- The 45-feet long, 14-feet wide and 16-feet high official tableau from Gujarat for the Republic Day parade represents the incident of indiscriminate firing by the British army on the tribal revolutionaries of Pal Dadhvaav village.
- A seven-feet statue of Motilal Tejawat, who was regarded as the ‘Gandhi of Koliyari’ by the tribals, will be the main highlight of the tableau.
- A statue of H G Saturn, the British cavalier who gave the firing order, has also been depicted in it.
Protest of Bhil tribal in freedom movement
- About 600 innocent civilians were killed at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, Punjab on April 13, 1919.
- Later in 1920, Gandhiji started the non-cooperation movement in Calcutta. The freedom struggle had started all over the country.
- In the Sabarkantha district of Gujarat, the Bhil tribals, who lived a lavish life in the Aravalli hills, also protested the:
- exploitation
- harsh taxes
- tyranny of the British and the feudal lords
About the forgotten horrific incident
- Date: March 7, 1922
- Location: Sabarkantha district of Gujarat
- Tribal leader: Motilal Tejawat
- British Officer: Major HG Stern
- This horrific incident took place in the Sabarkantha district of Gujarat, three years after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
- Freedom-loving tribals met under the leadership of Motilal Tejawat, known as the Gandhi of Koliyari.
- An armed military force of the British paramilitary force called Mewar Bhil Corps (MBC) was stationed on the Jaramara hills.
- Major HG Stern, the British officer of the MBC, ordered to shoot at the thousands of tribals, who had gathered, and around 1,200 innocent tribals were shot dead.
- The sound of gunshots from machine guns erased the dance and drums of the tribals forever.
- There were piles of dead bodies everywhere.
- Like a battlefield, the whole field was filled with corpses.
- The nearby Dhekhaliya Kuwa and Dudhio Kuwa were filled with the bodies of around 1,200 innocent tribals.
- Motilal Tejawat was also shot twice. Later, his companions made him sit on a camel and took him to the hills along the river.
- The tribals of this region still sing songs of this event in their wedding songs.
