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

The Santhal rebellion (Santhal Hul) of 1855-1856 was led by the brothers Sidhu Murmu and Kanhu Murmu, along with their brothers Chand and Bhairav, and sisters Phulo and Jhano.

Background:

• The Santhals had settled in the forested hills of the Rajmahal region, clearing forests and cultivating land, encouraged by the British.
• They were exploited by zamindars, moneylenders (dikus, outsiders), traders and British officials.
• Moneylenders charged very high rates of interest, and the Santhals lost their land and fell into bonded labour.
• The police and the courts favoured the outsiders.

The rebellion:

• On 30 June 1855, about 10,000 Santhals gathered at Bhognadih village, where Sidhu and Kanhu declared that the god Thakur had told them to fight for their freedom.
• They declared an end to British rule and to the oppression of the dikus.
• The rebels attacked zamindars, moneylenders, police posts and railway workers.
• The rebellion spread over a large area of the Rajmahal hills region.

NCERT on the Santhal rebellion:

NCERT notes that by 1850s, the Santhals felt that the time had come to rebel against zamindars, moneylenders and the colonial state, in order to create an ideal world for themselves where they would rule.

Suppression:

• The British declared martial law and sent a large army.
• Thousands of Santhals were killed; Sidhu and Kanhu were captured and executed in 1856.

Results:

The British introduced some protective measures for the Santhals after the rebellion.

Its memory:

30 June is observed as "Hul Diwas" (Hul Day) in Jharkhand and elsewhere.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Birsa Munda led the Munda uprising.
• ✗Budhu Bhagat and Joa Bhagat led the Kol uprising.
• ✗Tilka Manjhi led an earlier uprising in the 1780s.