The Tantiya Bhil are a tribal group from East Nimar (present-day Khandya district) in Madhya Pradesh. The Bhil tribe was a continuation of the mass and multifaceted uprisings that had been going on against the British before the 1857 freedom struggle and also fought against the British occupation after the 57 rebellion.
With the outbreak of the 1857 freedom struggle, the shadow of the British Queen spread over the rule of the East India Company. The unjust tolls and trade practices of the East India Company continued even under the new administration. Many tribal groups suffered from exploitation and tolls. Some of them held a grudge against the whites and carried out small and big attacks.
One of them was Tanthiya. Born in the early 1840s in the Bhil tribe of Madhya Pradesh, Tanthiya lived by farming, collecting tobacco and forest products and selling them. The Bhils began to react to the exploitative system. Gradually, Tanthiya also joined the struggle. In 1874, Tanthiya was sentenced to prison. After being released after a year of imprisonment, Tanthiya expanded his activities. He and his tribesmen fought against the whites in the dense forests of the Patipo hills. The Bhils, who were unable to fight directly, used guerrilla warfare. Tanthiya and his followers resisted the whites, their spies, pawns, and brokers. They looted the treasures stored by the whites and gave a fierce response to their attacks. They also learned to steal British guns and use them. The treasures obtained by looting treasuries and godowns were distributed among the starving farmers due to the heavy tax burden. It was also distributed among the poor.
Tantiya's unwavering courage and bravery drew people to him. He grew up as the leader of the Bhil tribe. Everyone respectfully called him Tantiya Mama. From 1874 to 1888, Tantiya Bhil or Tantiya Mama posed a formidable challenge to the British from the Bhil tribe.
The main weapon of the Bhils was the Gofan, a slingshot used to sling stones. They also used swords, bows, arrows, and implements in this struggle. Tantiya was captured by the British army and the British-Indian police several times. He was brutally tortured and died several times. He escaped from prison several times. With each capture and escape, Tantiya became a more dangerous fighter. Even when Tantiya was captured, his close associates, Dipya Bhil and Bijnya Bhil, continued to attack him.
In the raids conducted to capture Tantiya Bhil, his tribesmen and supporters were brutally tortured. Hundreds of people were arrested and imprisoned.
In 1888, Bhipya and Bijnya were arrested. Bhipya escaped from prison, but Bijnya was sentenced to hang.
The very next year, Tanthiya was also arrested. Tanthiya was caught in a trap on the pretext of a settlement and was hanged on charges of murder, theft, and sedition. It is also said that the husband of the woman who came to rescue Tanthiya on Raksha Bandhan day betrayed her.
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After many years, in 2017, an incident occurred that brought the Bhils to national attention. It was during these times that tensions and stone-pelting by separatists were rife in Kashmir. The Bhil tribes wrote a letter to the Indian Prime Minister, demanding that they be sent to Kashmir and given a chance to confront those who were pelting stones at the Indian army.
They also said with enthusiasm that they will cause ten times the damage that the stone pelters in Kashmir are doing with their gofan.
"We cannot tolerate separatists insulting the soldiers in Kashmir on TV and social media. We are ready to fight them. The fight is not new to us. The memory of the tribal leader Tanthiya Bhil, who fought against the British rule, is enough for us, and we need a chance to fight for the country once again," Bhil leader Bahadur Hatilla told the media at that time.
Note:-
Once a British officer came to a tribal village to arrest Tantiya. There were two or three officers and a hired man to carry her suitcase in the group. When the group reached Tantiya's house, they searched for a while but could not find her and were about to go back, when their hired man said - 'What, sir, are you not arresting me?'. There is a story that the officers were frightened when they realized that it was Tantiya Mama who had been carrying their suitcase all this time and left the place. Whether it is true or not, there is nothing that can replace the blood, pride and courage left by thousands who have left their mark in the history of the Indian freedom struggle.