Republican spirits have been a time-honoured tradition in Bhagalpur. Earlier known as Anga, it was one of the sixteen Mahajanpadas during the later Vedic period. The first proverbial ruler of Anga was Karna, the foster son of a charioteer, who rose from the ranks of common people, defying the rigid norms of kingship that ensured only a descendent of a monarch would become a ruler.
The district had always been important in Indian politics. Bhagalpur was part of Anga Desh in the Mahabharata period. In the ancient period, Bhagalpur was known as Karngarh or Champanagar³. Champa is often mentioned in early Buddhist literature as a city of importance and was one of the six great cities of northern India during Buddha's time (6th-4th century BCE)4.
It was a centre for foreign trade in ancient India. In the medieval period, Bhagalpur was part of the Mughal province of Bihar. The district is said to have derived its name from an incident of fugitives being brought to this place by Mughal officers to protect them from the violence and depredations of the disorderly local chieftains. The district came under the control of the East India Company in 1765, after the Mughal emperor bestowed Diwani rights on them. It was in 1774 that the British established the first collectorship in Bhagalpur for purposes of general administration. But little did they know that one day this nondescript place would become the nerve centre of a rebellion to force them out of the country in 1947.
The district of Bhagalpur was the hub of resistance and rebellion during the nationalist movement and freedom struggle in the country during the first half of the twentieth century. Interestingly, around 650 of Bihar's 23,000 surviving freedom fighters hailed from Bhagalpur in 201210. There might be many others whose records are not available with the administration or who may have lost their lives during the freedom struggle or died after independence. The district happened to be the centre of numerous political and revolutionary activities. Great political leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Lala Lajpat Rai, Jamna Lal Bajaj, Rajendra Prasad, Jayaprakash Narayan, Sarojini Naidu, Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Subhas Chandra Bose, Acharya J. B. Kripalani and Jagjivan Ram, among others had visited Bhagalpur several times during the freedom struggle.
People of Bhagalpur supported the Swadeshi Movement in a big way by boycotting foreign clothes despite the repressive measures unleashed by the district administration. A new phase of nationalist movement began in India after 1918. Bhagalpur was caught right up in it. The youth of the district actively marched for the freedom of the nation. The first reported instance of resistance in Bhagalpur was in December 1918. Several arrests were made in Bhagalpur by the British India police on the charges of Bolpur conspiracy to destabilise the British Raj. A young man, Anath Bandhu Chaudhary, hailing from Bengal, was arrested in Bhagalpur under Section 12 A of the Defense of India Act. He accepted being an agent of the Bolpur conspiracy and that he was in the district to distribute leaflets related to the Swadhin Bharat movement 12. Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore protested against the arrest of Anath Bandhu Chaudhary, after which his case shifted to Bengal 13.
One could feel the ripples of anger in the air of Bhagalpur after the Rowlatt Act was passed and the subsequent nationwide protests that culminated in the dreaded Jallianwala Bagh massacre. The people in Bhagalpur were quite agitated. There were numerous meetings, strikes, picketing and demonstrations reflecting the anguish of citizens. A large number of youths, farmers, teachers and traders participated in the Non- cooperation Movement launched by Mahatma Gandhi in August 1920. However, the movement was called off in February 1922 due to some violent streaks by a few over-enthusiastic activists.
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