Meghalaya Leaders Pay Tribute to Freedom Fighter U Tirot Sing at Old Central Dhaka Jail

Dhaka, November 7, 2019:

The 20-member delegation from Meghalaya that is on a visit to Bangladesh paid tribute to U Tirot Sing Syiem, one of the most revered freedom fighters of Meghalaya, at the Old Central Dhaka Jail in the Bangladesh capital.

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Way way back during the British Raj in India, U Tirot Sing was jailed in the same jail by the British in 1833, and died on March 29, 1834.

During the same visit, the Chief Minister and his associates also paid their respects to the father of the Nation of Bangladesh Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

U Tirot Sing Syiem was a Khasi chief and one of the greatest freedom fighters of the country. He belonged to the Syiemlieh clan and was the Syiem or king of Nongkhlaw, a region in the Khasi hills of Meghalaya.

In 1826, the British had concluded the Treaty of Yandabu which gave them a stronghold over the Brahmaputra Valley. The Surma Valley (in Assam and partly in Bangladesh) had also become a possession of the British. They now wanted to link these two regions for easier transport and strategic purposes. For this, they had to construct a road through the Khasi Hills.

The political agent of the British, David Scott, requested Tirot Sing for permission to construct a road cutting through the hills which belonged to the Khasis.

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Scott proposed that in lieu of the permission, Tirot Sing would be given control of the duars (passes into Assam) and also assured of free trade in the region.

After consultation with his durbar, Tirot Sing consented to the British proposal.After the construction of the road started, the Raja of Ranee Balaram Singh disputed Tirot Sing’s possession of the duars and claimed them for himself.

Tirot Sing expected the British to stick to their word and support him, but instead, they blocked his entry. Also, Tirot Sing received the news that the British were bringing in reinforcements from Guwahati and Sylhet. This led Tirot Sing to ask the British to leave Nongkhlaw. The British paid no attention to the orders and continued to remain in their post.

On 4 April 1829, Khasi forces under Tirot Sing attacked the British garrison. Two officers were killed in the attack. The British retaliated immediately.

In the fighting that ensued, the Khasis, though brave and fearless, could not match up to the modern firearms of their enemies. Despite this, Tirot Sing and his troops carried on guerrilla warfare with the British for four years. The British were thoroughly shaken by the Khasis.

Sustaining a bullet injury, Tirot Sing hid in a cave in the hills. However, he was betrayed and captured by the British in January 1833. After a trial, he was deported to Dhaka, Bangladesh.

There, he died in captivity on 17^th July 1835. The state of Meghalaya observes the 17^th of July as U Tirot Sing Day every year.

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