Gujarat depicts British massacre of tribals in R-Day tableau

A century-old, long-forgotten uprising in Bhil dominated Sabarkantha that was quelled by the British after the horrific massacre of 1,200 tribals was showcased by Gujarat in the Republic Day parade on Wednesday.

The tableau of the Gujarat government depicted scenes of the congregation of tribals in Pal-Dadhvaav villages to protest against high taxation (lagaan) and forced labour imposed by the British and the subsequent indiscriminate firing by the British Army.

The horrific incident had taken place on March 7, 1922, just three years after the Jallianwalla Bagh massacre, but had gone into oblivion. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his tenure as the chief minister of Gujarat, had put the incident back into the spotlight, a Gujarat government statement said.

Modi, as the chief minister Gujarat, built a memorial to Motilal Tejawat, the leader of the tribal uprising, at the site of the massacre in Sabarkantha.

On the fateful day, when Tejawat was addressing a large number of tribals who had gathered to protest against the land revenue system, Major H G Saturn of the Mewad Bhil Corps opened unprovoked fire on the protestors, killing 1,200 innocent tribals.

The front part of the tableau showcased statues of tribal freedom fighters carrying torches as symbols of revolution and two horses on either sides showcasing tribal rituals.

The two wells named Dhekhadiya and Dudhiya, said to be the graveyards of the martyrs, were part of the tableau. Along with the tableau, 10 tribal artists dressed in their traditional costumes also performed the Ger dance and sang a song describing the incident. Songs describing the bravery of the tribals of Pal-Dadhvaav are still sung in the region on auspicious occasions and hail Tejawat.