Consider the following statements about the Deccan Riots (1875) :
- It was a peasant revolt but *not* a movement of the poor tribals or landless peasants.
- It was led by the relatively better-off sections of the peasantry who were called Kunvi peasants in Maharashtra.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
1 only
2 only
Both 1 and 2
Neither 1 nor 2
Answer is Right!
Answer is Wrong!
This question was previously asked in
UPSC CAPF – 2010
Statement 2 is also correct. The revolt was indeed led by the relatively better-off sections of the peasantry, specifically the Kunvi peasants in Maharashtra, who felt the burden of debt and the rigidity of the revenue system most acutely among the cultivating class.
– The main participants were substantial cultivating peasants (Kunvis) who used the revolts to burn debt bonds and deeds.
– The Deccan Agriculturists’ Relief Act of 1879 was a direct result of these riots, aimed at protecting peasants from moneylenders.