The Santhal Rebellion (Hul) of 1855-56 against the British and the zamindars and moneylenders was led by:

The Santhal Rebellion, known as the "Santhal Hul" (rebellion), of 1855-56, was led by the brothers Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu, along with their brothers Chand and Bhairav and their sisters Phulo and Jhano.

Background:

• The Santhals were a tribal community who had settled in the Rajmahal hills region of present-day Jharkhand, in an area called the "Damin-i-Koh".
• They cleared forests and practised settled agriculture.
• NCERT notes that the Santhals had been given land in the Damin-i-Koh by the British, who wanted them to settle as cultivators.
• However, the British imposed heavy land revenue on them.
• Moneylenders (dikus) lent them money at very high interest rates and took over their lands when they could not repay.
• Zamindars and outsiders exploited them, and the police and courts sided with the exploiters.

The rebellion:

• On 30 June 1855, about 10,000 Santhals gathered at Bhognadih, the village of Sidhu and Kanhu.
• They declared that they would drive out the outsiders and set up their own rule.
• They attacked moneylenders, zamindars and British officials, and disrupted communications.
• The rebellion spread over a large area of Bihar and Bengal.

Suppression:

• The British declared martial law and sent a large army.
• The rebellion was crushed by early 1856, after fierce fighting; thousands of Santhals were killed.
• Sidhu and Kanhu were captured and executed.

Results:

• The British created a separate district, the "Santhal Parganas", in 1855-56, with special laws to protect the Santhals.
• The Santhal Parganas Tenancy Act was passed later (1949) to protect their land.

Remembrance:

30 June is observed as "Hul Diwas" in Jharkhand.

Other tribal leaders:

• Birsa Munda: led the Munda Ulgulan (1899-1900) in the Chotanagpur region.
• Tilka Manjhi: led an early Santhal (Paharia) uprising in the 1780s.
• Budhu Bhagat: led the Kol rebellion (1831-32).

Why not the other options?

• ✗Birsa Munda, Tilka Manjhi and Budhu Bhagat led other tribal revolts.