What is the contribution of maniram dewan to freedom moment?
Since his childhood Maniram Dutta Baruah had seen the deplorable
state of the Ahom kingdom, Assam caused first by the rebellion of
Moamaria people of Eastern Assam followed by Burmese invasion first
in 1817 and again in 1819 and carried out intolarably henious
autocracies on the people of Assam,which were beyond expression.
Half of the population either flee away or massacared by the
tyrranic invaders. The royal family of the Ahom king, Purandar
Sinha with those of his nobles including the Prime Minister,
Ramdutta Bar Bhandar Baruah, father of Maniram, left Assam and took
shelter in Eastern Bengal, where they came in contact with the
British rulers, who had also to prevent intrusions by the Burmese
into Bengal. Then on their request British advanced into Assam and
repulsed the invaders, when Maniram Dutta Baruah with few other
aids guided the British Platoon led by David Scott in 1824, and
restored entire kingdom by subordinating other rebel groups like
Mataks (Moamarias), Singphos and Khamtis, using British army.
British recovered Assam by executing the treaty of Yandabu with the
king of Burma, on 24 February,1826 and restored peace an harmony in
Assam taking all round helps and guidances from Maniram Dutta
Baruah who sincerely relied on the declaration made by David Scott
to the people of Assam that they were not coming to conquer Assam
and would go back after expelling the Burmese invaders. But latter
seeing no mood of the British to keep their words Maniram
petitioned on behalf the Ahom Prince to restore him the reign of
the kingdom on 5 June,1853, to A.J.Moffat Mills visiting Sivasagar
on deputation by Lt.Governor of Bengal to enquire about
administration matters in Assam, but to no response. Gradually he
become more disgruntled and went to Calcutta and submitted two
lengthy petitions to the Governor General on 6 May,1857, but to no
avail. So Maniram Dewan was the first freedom fighter to adopt
"Non-Violence" as the means of his struggle to restore Ahom regime
in Assam from the British colonial rulers, sixty years ago when
Mohatma Gandhi started 'Non Violent Movement' for freedom of India
and suceeded in 1947. Maniram Dewan's aversion for 'violence' was
reflected from his stance against the armed rebellions against the
British by Gomdhar Konwar in 1828 and Piyali Bar Phukan in 1830.
Piyali Bar Phukan was the first martyr of Assam and Gamdhar Konwar,
however died while in imprisonment .
Whatsoever may be the case, being disappointed Maniram Dewan
planned, of course with broken heart, to carry forward the sepoy
mutiny from Northern India into Assam which led to his martyrdom in
1858 together with his close associate in the plot, Piyali
Baruah.
