The Assam Company, consisting of European tea planters, remained the v

The Assam Company, consisting of European tea planters, remained the virtual proprietor of the tea industry till 1850. In the 1850s, who among the following established two small proprietary tea gardens of his own, which were confiscated by the State after his execution for treason in 1858 ?

Anandaram Dhekial Phukan
Gunabhiram Barua
Lakhinath Bezbarua
Maniram Dewan
This question was previously asked in
UPSC CAPF – 2014
The correct option is D, identifying Maniram Dewan as the person described.
– The description points to a prominent figure in Assam’s history who was involved in the tea industry and executed by the British in 1858 for treason, leading to the confiscation of his property, including tea gardens.
– Maniram Dewan (Maniram Datta Barua) was one of the pioneers of the Assamese tea industry who established private tea gardens alongside the dominant European-owned Assam Company.
– He participated in the Indian Mutiny of 1857, attempting to organize an uprising in Assam. His letters to plotters were intercepted, leading to his arrest and execution in 1858. His properties, including his tea gardens, were confiscated by the British East India Company.
Anandaram Dhekial Phukan was a prominent Assamese writer and intellectual of the same period, but not involved in rebellion leading to execution and confiscation of tea gardens. Gunabhiram Barua was a social reformer and writer. Lakhinath Bezbarua was a celebrated Assamese litterateur of a later period. Maniram Dewan uniquely fits the description.