People and Personalities of Hazaribag District

The big stories often make the headlines of our historical narratives, but history is not only about the landmark events - it finds shape and character in the myriad events that led up to a flashpoint of change. An attempt to discover and document stories of people, events, and places linked to the freedom struggle of India at the micro level of the district has led to the creation of a Digital District Repository. Stories in this section can be broadly classified under - People & Personalities.

Jaimangal Pandey

Jaimangal Pandey, the renowned figure of the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, was born in 1793 in Khirgaon, at the Hazaribagh district. His father, Arjun Pandey, played an influential role in his upbringing. In 1818, Jaimangal was appointed as a Subedar in the East India Company army, stationed at the Doranda Cantonment in Ranchi.

When the rebellion erupted in the Barrackpore Cantonment, its impact resonated across the country. Despite holding the position of Subedar among the British soldiers, discontent was brewing within Jaimangal, who was longing for the day when the British would be expelled from India. During this time, Veer Kumar Singh and several other revolutionaries were actively involved in Bihar. On 30 September 1857, Jaimangal Pandey and Nadir Ali embarked on a journey from Doranda to assist Veer Kunwar Singh, with Bhola Singh, the landlord of Chutia, joining them along the way. Together, they reached Chatra.

Meanwhile, British officers received intelligence that Jaimangal Pandey was heading towards Bhojpur with Nadir Ali. On 2 October 1857, Pandey, accompanied by his comrades, arrived in Chatra. British soldiers surrounded them near Kali Pahari in Chatra, and a fierce battle ensued, lasting for an hour. Many Indian freedom fighters sacrificed their lives in this bloody struggle, which also claimed the lives of 56 British soldiers. Jaimangal Pandey was apprehended during the conflict on 3 October 1857.

On 4 October 1857, acting on the orders of Commissioner Simson, Jaimangal Pandey, Nadir Ali, and 150 others were executed together by hanging from a mango tree near Harjivan Pond, also known as Phansi Talab. This tragic event marked the end of a brave and indomitable fighter who had played a significant role in the fight for independence.

Saraswati Devi

Saraswati Devi was born on 5 Feb, 1901 at Jharkhand in Bihar. She got married when she was 13 years of age to Kedarnath Sahay. She got associated with Dr Rajendra Prasad’s Students Welfare Society.

Saraswati Devi  was proactive in all the work assigned to her. She shared her keenness to join Indian independence Movement. By 1916-17 she was actively involved in the freedom movement. In 1921 Gandhi insisted that she join the Quit India movement and she gladly agreed. She was imprisoned and sent to Hazaribagh Central Jail. After her release, she moved shoulder to shoulder with Krishn Vallabh Sahay, Triveni Singh, and many others. In 1925, she was the one who made Gandhi come to Hazaribagh.

Gandhi was staying at a house in Darbhanga. Surat babu gave his vehicle for Gandhi’s travel. Later in the night in Matwari maidan a meeting was called and Gandhi explained the importance of going Swadeshi and why charkha is important.

Saraswati’s spirit was undying and many were joining her to fight against the British Raj. The British took note and in 1929, she was sent to Bhagalpur Central Jail with her one-year-old son Dwarka Nath. She was released in 1931.

On 8 March 1931 in Chainpur Dumri, there was a mass meet that Saraswati and Bajrang Sahay addressed. There were more than 647 people who gathered from various villages and districts. In 1942 the Quit India movement, most of the leaders  were arrested but Saraswati  managed to evade arrest.  Finally she was arrested and detained for nearly two years in jail.

Hajirabagh had a congress office at Saraswati’s house and saw Khan Abdul Gaffar khan visiting too.

Rupu Manjhi

Rupu Manjhi is regarded as an eminent leader, he was an Adivasi who belonged to the community of Santhals in Hazaribagh.

Hazaribagh was fuelled with resentment against the British for their unjust revenue practices and their corrupt system. Rupu was influenced by Sidhu and Kanha Murmu who were Santhal leaders. He became a leader to the Santhals of Hazaribagh who took over several villages like Narainpur and adjoining areas. In this area, the Santhals established their own system and espionage. Government buildings were attacked and their records were burnt at Gomia. They saw this as an opportunity to recover their lands from corrupt moneylenders.

The Santhals fought fiercely under Rupu but were eventually suppressed by Lieutenant Graham. Rupu’s nephew Palu Thakur and his son were brutally murdered. His house was burnt and a reward of one hundred was declared for his capture. 

Rupu sacrificed his life by standing for the cause of the Santhals against the British and got immortalized in history for his leadership and his martyrdom in Hazaribagh.

Contribution of Santhals in the First War of Independence

Falling in the North Division of the Chotanagpur Plateau, Hazaribagh is a district in the state of Jharkhand.

The Paharias, were the original inhabitants of the Rajamahal Hills, in order to sustain themselves, they heavily depended upon the forest, and thus, practiced hunting and gathering, shifting cultivation, charcoal production and rearing silkworm. The British however, wanted the deforestation of the area to increase the crop produce and revenue.

For this purpose, the Santhals, who were scattered in eastern India, were encouraged to settle down around the Rajamahal Hills and practice agriculture on the promise that they would be given the land to cultivate. With the arrival of the Santhals, the Paharias were forced to shift deeper into the forests. Gradually, the Santhals fell prey to corrupt money lending practices and started losing their lands to fulfil their debts taken to meet the high revenue rates. Led by Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu, the Santhals rebelled and started running a parallel government. They put forth a vehement revolt against the British, and the corrupt practices of the zamindars, mahajans and money-lenders. 

The rebellion was quenched by the British in 1856 after much effort. And thus, the Santhal Parganas were created to pacify Santhals. The Santhal Hul, with its spirit to quell foreign dominance, can thereby be seen as a prelude to the First war of Independence in 1857.

Madan Lal Sharma

Madan Lal Sharma was a freedom fighter of Hazaribagh, Jharkhand. He belonged originally to Sabji Market, Hazaribagh. He contributed to the 1942, Quit India Movement. He was educated till the tenth standard. During the Quit India Movement, he was sent to Hazaribagh Jail for 26 days on 15 August 1942 under section 56(4) of the Indian Penal code. He was in contact with Gandhiji. He was a true follower of Gandhiji and followed the path of truth similar to that of Gandhiji. The Bihar government has all the evidence and documents of Madan Lal Sharma. He used to be invited by the Bihar government during different functions and occasions. For his contribution to independence, he received a copper plate from Prime Minister Lt. Indira Gandhi on 15 August 1972. He also received a pension from the Indian Government as a Freedom Fighter.

Laxmi Prasad Dubey

Laxmi Prasad Dubey was a freedom fighter. He belonged originally to village-Meyatu, p.o-Sultana, p.s-Katakmag, Hazaribagh, Jharkhand and his date of birth is January 15, 1926. He received his education from St. Columbus college, Hazaribagh, and Bachelor’s degree from Co-operative college, Tata. He was involved in the freedom movement from student life. He actively participated as a volunteer in the Ramgarh Congress session of 1940. Chief Ministers KB Sahay, Ramnarayan Singh, Babu Shaligram Singh, and Tribhuvan Nath made their mark along with the top leaders by playing a major role in the Congress session. On 09 August 1942, by staying underground during the Quit India Movement, he conducted many countless destructive incidents and supported the leaders. For the period 22 October 1942 to 10 February 1945 he remained underground for about two and half years. On November 09, 1942, Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan and Babu Shaligram Singh were helped to escape from the prison in a planned manner from Hazaribagh Central Jail and took 10 days of night rest and food to safe places. On 03 January 1941, he was kept in the Child Rehabilitation Centre for 20 days for chanting Vande Mataram and wearing a Gandhi cap. Vande Mataram, wearing Gandhi's cap was considered a big crime in the country during the freedom movement. On 11 august 1942, the tricolor flag was hoisted in the DC office, and in this case, Rameshwar Prasad alias Ram Babu was leading it along with the son of the then Chief Minister KB Sahay and his main aide was Lakshmi Prasad Dubey. The order to shoot at first sight was issued against him. He was about to be executed on the orders of D.C. the order of shootout, at first sight, was cancelled. Non-bailable warrants were issued from Hazaribagh Sadar police station, Petarwar Vishnugarh, and Koderma police station. In all these incidents, the case was registered as co-accused in the case of Arun Choubey in the Petrwar case and Budhan Majhi and Ajit Kumar Nag in other cases. Shri Dubey was an accused in all these cases.

Krishna Prasad Singh

Krishna Prasad Singh was a freedom fighter and son of the late Rajkumar Singh. He belonged originally to Hazaribagh, Jharkhand and his date of birth is before 1932. His wife's name was Shrimati Hira Rani. He was involved in the freedom movement from the student age. He contributed to the 1942, Quit India Movement. From the age of 18-19 years, he was involved in the freedom movement. He was involved in the hoisting of flags at Gaya Court and Hazaribag Court. He went to Gaya in 1960 and also did his Graduation from Gaya, he was fluent in English and teaching was his profession. During the Quit India Movement, he was sent to Central Jail Hazaribagh for 2 years for two times. He was amongst the top 16 freedom fighters, and he headed the organization collectively of Bihar and Jharkhand as a Chairman. He was in contact with Jay Prakash Narayan, Shaligram Singh and Ram Sahay son of K.B.Sahay. He was also in contact with Gandhiji. For his contribution to independence, he received a copper plate from Prime Minister Lt. Indira Gandhi on 15 August 1972.

Kastur Mal Agarwal

Kastur Mal Agarwal was a freedom fighter and son of the late Bansidhar Agarwal. He belonged originally to Khandela district, Sikar, Rajasthan. His wife's name was Ramdulari Devi. He contributed to the 1942, Quit India Movement. He was educated till the tenth standard. He was involved in the hoisting of the flag at the DC office. During the Quit India Movement SP of Hazaribag at that time was Russell and he caught Russell from behind due to this, he was beaten by a stick whose mark was left on his forehead. During the Quit India Movement, he was sent to Central Jail, Hazaribagh for one year. He was involved in the freedom movement along with K.B.Sahay. He was in contact with Gandhiji. He was a true follower of Gandhiji and followed the path of truth similar to that of Gandhiji. He was also one of the chief freedom fighters from Hazaribagh amongst all other freedom fighters. For his contribution to independence, he received a copper plate from Prime Minister Lt. Indira Gandhi on 15 August 1972. He did not have the habit of intoxication and always used to wear khadi. He also received a pension from the Indian Government as a freedom Fighter and after his death pension continued to his wife. He died on 11 April 1998.

Babu Rama Narayan Singh

The district Hazaribagh is an old district in Jharkhand with its own intriguing history. It derives its name from the old city Hazari in the region. The district has been the center of revolutionary activities during the British Raj. The administrative structure of the region underwent changes many times during the period. It was made the division headquarters after the 1831 Kol revolt when certain neighboring regions were merged to form the southwest Frontier Agency. Today, it continues to be the headquarters of the North Chotanagpur Division.

Ram Narayan Singh, also known as Babu Ram Narayan Singh was a prominent social worker and freedom fighter from Hazaribagh. He played a prominent role during the freedom movement. He was born in 1884 in Tetariya village of Hunterganj block of Chatra. He was a member of the Congress party and played an important role in spreading the national movement to remote corners of this region. He mobilized people for the Non-Cooperation movement in the region. Ram Narayan Singh went to jail for a month during this movement. During the Non-Cooperation movement, when Gandhi particularly exhorted students and lawyers to join the movement, he left practice and dedicated himself to the national cause. In the course of time, he was imprisoned many times. For his dedication and commitment to the national cause, he was given the title of Chotanagpur Kesari, or the Lion of Chotanagpur. He along with Sukhlal Singh, Krishna Ballabh Sahay, and Ballabh Singh played an important role in propagating nationalist ideas in this region. They joined hands with the tribal leaders to mainstream the fragmented feeling of disenchantment with the British rule into a consolidated national movement. He walked shoulder to shoulder with the Santhal leaders like Opan Manjhi, and Bangma Manjhi to enforce the works of social reform to weed out the evil that had crept into the society. He was also in jail 8 times in the 1930s during which the British were particularly harsh on him. He participated zealously in the Quit India Movement. He was sent to Hazaribagh Central jail, however, he managed to flee the jail in 1942.

He was associated with many national leaders and worked in tandem with them to advance the national interest. He accompanied Gandhi on his tour in Bihar along with Dr Rajendra Prasad and J P Narayan.  Until independence, he remained a dedicated member of the Congress party. However, he developed differences with Congress leadership and left the party. He developed differences particularly on the foreign policies of Nehru. He contested the first Lok Sabha election from Hazaribagh and won. Later he became one of the ardent advocates of the separate state of Jharkhand.

Source :

• Ajay Kumar Thakur, Contributor for CCRT
• Aamna Singh, Research Assistant, CCRT
• Indian Culture Portal
• Reena Handsak,  IAS 2020 (Jharkhand)
• Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav