What was Titumir’s Barasat Rebellion: Revisiting Bengal’s bamboo fortress of resistance

In the heart of Bangla, where the air carried the scent of ripe crops across the green fields of West Bengal's Barasat, a bamboo fortress (Basher Kella) once stood tall, a symbol of resistance and defiance against British colonial rule. 

It is here in its impenetrable foliage where the Barasat Rebellion would be moulded. 

Today, protesting Titumir College students threatened the "Barasat Barricade to Mohakhali". 

A look back into the annals of history shows how the Barasat rebellion was steeped into a culture of oppressed fighting back.

The rebellion, an uprising in 1831, was no ordinary event in history. It was the voice of the oppressed, the rallying cry of the impoverished, and the last stand of a people who refused to bow before tyranny.  

It was led by Syed Mir Nisar Ali, better known as Titu Mir, who became a voice for the voiceless. 

By 1831, Titumir had capitalised on a political vacuum in large parts of the Parganas, even styling himself the Badshah, boasting the support of thousands of low caste Hindu and Muslim peasants. 

The rebellion originated from the socio-economic injustices inflicted upon the people of Bengal by zamindars backed by the British East India Company. 

These zamindars ruthlessly taxed the peasantry, draining their meagre resources. 

For the Muslim peasants, humiliation came in many forms, including the infamous beard tax, which demanded payment from those who kept their facial hair as a mark of their faith.  

The rebellion, however, was not merely a response to taxes. 

It was a stand against an entire system that sought to exploit, oppress, and dehumanise. 

At its centre was Titu Mir, a charismatic leader who combined religious revivalism with social justice. 

Under his leadership, the marginalised peasants, especially Muslim peasants, found a cause worth fighting for—a chance to reclaim their dignity.  

Titu Mir's bamboo fortress at Narkelberia in Barasat became a symbol of this defiance. Inside its walls, peasants armed themselves with bamboo sticks and whatever rudimentary weapons they could find, ready to challenge the might of the British Empire. 

The rebellion quickly spread across the districts of 24 Parganas, Nadia, and Faridpur, galvanising the oppressed against their common enemy.  

But the might of the British was overwhelming. On 19 November 1831, the fortress fell. British artillery bombarded the structure, killing Titu Mir and many of his followers. 

What the rebellion lacked in longevity, it made up for in impact. 

While the British suppressed the uprising, they could not extinguish its spirit.  

The Barasat Rebellion left a lasting legacy. It demonstrated the power of collective action, the courage of the downtrodden, and the ability of an oppressed people to challenge their oppressors. 

Though the rebellion was rooted in the Wahabi movement, which sought a return to the pure teachings of Islam, its message transcended religious boundaries. It was, at its core, a fight for justice and equality.  

Even today, the story of the rebellion continues to inspire. Students of Titumir College in Dhaka, named after the revolutionary leader, draw parallels between their struggles and those of Titu Mir's. 

From the peasants of colonial Bengal to the students of Titumir College, the spirit of defiance lives on, proving that even in the face of overwhelming odds, resistance is never futile.

Back in Mohakhali, in the present, Titumir college students remain protesting in their campus. 

"As part of the ongoing 'Barasat Barricade' program, we will remain on campus," said Naek Nur Mohammad, a student leader, to BBC Bangla yesterday. 

"We've decided to boycott classes and exams indefinitely until our demands – including of giving the college a university status – are met."  

Titumir was ranked number 11 in the BBC's poll of the Greatest Bengali of all time.

The Jinnah College was renamed to Government Titumir College in 1971.