The cover of Doli Puran

Guwahati, Jan. 27: Doli Puran, a book with vivid description of the famous Patharughat peasant uprising in Assam’s Darrang district, sung by eyewitness Narottam, was recovered at Tangla in Udalguri district. The book, first published in 1949, was reprinted this month to popularise the uprising.

Doli Puran is a valuable source of information on the uprising where, according to unofficial sources, 140 peasants were killed and 150 injured on January 28 in 1894 when police open fired on peasants who protested tax imposed by the British.

Government records, however, say that 15 peasants were killed and 37 injured in the incident.

“As Narottam was illiterate he could not write down the book. He kept singing the incident in verse which was later jotted down and published under the initiative of Bamunpara Bhebarghat Xatra Sangha, Mangaldoi. The book then went out of circulation.

Recently, one Binoy Medhi at Tangla found a copy of it in his house and had it reprinted by Darrang District Barta Jibi Sangha and Patharu Samannay Gosti,” said a member of the sangha.

The word doli means a piece of earth that is thrown at somebody intending to hurt or scare him off. During the Patharughat incident, helpless peasants used doli to defend themselves from gun-toting British soldiers.

The memory of the incident helps the Hindus and the Muslims of Patharughat forget all differences as their grandfathers or great-grandfathers fought as one for a common cause. They believe that the British buried the dead of both the communities together in an attempt to cover up the actual number of casualty and stop the incident become more sensitive.

Local residents recollect the incident every year and pay tribute to those who lost their lives. Tomorrow they will organise a function at the site of the incident where a memorial has been erected.

Today, the sangha and Patharu Samannay Gosti organised a symposium here on the incident to find ways to project the incident on the country’s map.

Rajya Sabha member Santiuse Kujur attended the symposium and promised to raise his voice in the Upper House on this. Asam Sahitya Sabha vice-president Paramananda Rajbongshi also promised all help from the Sabha for the purpose.