History of Orissa from the Earliest Times to the British Period v2.c41.348

Language: English

v2.c41.348.1

Copies of correspondence received from Rājārām Pandit was sent by Peiarce to the Board of Revenue on the 30th August, 1787. In his letter dated 13th July Rājārām Pandit states that he had sent a *parwanah* to the zamindar of Kelār and a letter to Morār Pandit to the same purpose. The *parwanah* is dated 7th Ramzān, 1194, and it orders the zamindar of Kelār to return the stolen cattle immediately. But Raghunāth Pikerā paid very little attention to the *parwanah* from the *Ṣūbāhdār* of Orissa. Lakshmī Charan *Amin* reported to Peiarce that Raghunāth Pikerā did not pay any attention to the *parwanah* taken to him by Mīr Kānu Jamādār and Nawāb-ud-din *Harkarāh*. The report of these two, dated 8th August, 1787, states that on arriving at Khelār they found Raghunāth bathing in a tank. He desired them to sit down and then failed to reappear. They went to Bhuban Mahāpātra, who said he had nothing to do with Barajeet, and asked them to go to Brindāban and Hāru Pāṭnāyak. So they went to these people, who refused to receive the *parwanah* of the Collector and Rājārām Pandit. Three days later they went to Madde Khān, who also received them unfavourably. On the 28th January, 1788, the Governor-General in Council directed the Board of Revenue to confiscate the Purganah of Barajeet held by Raghunāth Pikerā. Burrowes, the next Collector of Medinipur, reported on the 26th June, 1788, that the revenue due on account of Barajeet amounted to Rs. 346-11-11.

v2.c41.348.2

The same Collector reported on the 17th of August, 1790, that the Sepoys of the English Company had to fire to stop the depredations of Raghunāth Pikerā. He sent a translation of a letter from Morār Pandit protesting against firing on tenants of Raghunāth Pikerā when they went to cultivate in the village of Garhiyapota. Morār Pandit also sent a copy of a letter from the Dīwān stating that on this occasion four or five tenants were hit with balls and arrows. On receiving this representation the Hāvildār of the guard was directed to use every means in his power to protect the tenants without proceeding to the extremity of firing. On the 22nd of April the Collector of Medinipur notes that he received two letters from Raghunāth Pikerā to the Sarbatāhkārs and tenants of Nalvee, Darinda, Nalband, etc., informing them that these villages were mortgaged to him and therefore the rents must be paid to him alone. The same officer notes on the 6th January, 1790, that on the 6th March Raghunāth Pikerā’s people plundered the villages of Lapu and Konkonda and wounded two men. On the 6th at mid-day they carried away one hundred and sixteen heads of cattle. This was done by way of retaliation on Raghunāth Pikerā’s enemy, Dinabandhu Kumār, to whom these villages supplied provisions. The officer of the guard was reprimanded for not preventing this incident.

v2.c41.348.3

On the 10th June, 1790, there is a note about the guard firing on Raghunāth Pikera’s men and a report from the Hāvildār that he has only 160 rounds of ammunitions left and that Raghunāth was coming to plunder the parganah with 500 men. The Collector ordered the commanding officer to supply fresh ammunition. Mir Basant, Hāvildār, reported another incident at Gawseer Chawk. He states that on the 13th Jaith, Madde Khān *Thānahdār*, Umid Khān, Jamādār, with five horse-men and Rāmbihārī Sardār with 250 *pāiks* came and took away twelve ploughs, twenty-four bullocks and surrounded three Sepoys who were with them. Then Mīr Basant Khān came up with the rest of his party and remonstrated with Madde Khān, who then surrendered the plundered property. Rāmbihārī then threatened to plunder more. Again on the 18th of *Jaith*, Madde Khān, Umid Khān and Rāmbihārī came to Gawseer Chowk but retired on the Hāvildār's remonstration. But those three went by another road plundered the guard-room, captured the Hāvildār's son and carried away three tenants. Mīr Basant followed them but was fired upon and the English Sepoys replied. The firing lasted for three hours, during which one Sepoy and two *Pāiks* were wounded by balls and arrows. On receiving this report Burrowes ordered Hāvildār Shaikh Rosbun (Rustam) Jamādār to remain at Gawseer Chowk and to use fire arms in cases of extreme necessity.

v2.c41.348.4

A copy of a letter received from Morār Pandit was forwarded by Borrowes to the Board of Revenue on the 2nd September, 1790. In this letter Morār Pandit says that the affair of Gawseer Chowk was due to the thoughtlessness and ignorance of Raghunāth Pikerā, who was a jungle zamindar. Barajeet was put up for sale, but nobody appeared to purchase it and no people remained to meet the *Thānahdār* of Jahānpur. Later on, Burrowes reported to the Board of Revenue that the purchaser of the *purganah* of Barajeet prayed to be put in possession of it. The tenants of the *purganah* fled and the purchaser requested protection against Maratha raids. The purchaser also reported that the villages of Nayāpāl and Malanpāl were cultivated by Raghunāth Pikerā's tenants. When the tenants of Barajeet went to cut their harvest they were opposed by armed people to the extent of one thousand. As the Hāvildār of the guard had no order to fire, these people plundered the guard-house and went away. The Board ordered Burrowes to compel the purchaser's Gumashtah to pay the arrears of revenue for Barajeet, as it was suspected that his representations were not quite correct.