Assam: Release of postage stamp on farmers’ uprising in Pathorughat on January 28

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: The Department of Posts, Union Ministry of Communication, is going to release a postage stamp worth Rs 5 on January 28, 2025, commemorating the peasants’ uprising at Patharughat in the Darrang district in Assam in 1894.

The office of the Chief Postmaster General, Assam Circle, Guwahati, informed Darrang-Udalguri MP Dilip Saikia of this. MP Saikia had been raising this demand so as to promote the prominent Independence Movement event at Patharughat in Assam.

The Philatelic Advisory Committee of the Indian Post approved the issuance of a commemorative postage stamp on the Pathorughat Peasants’ Uprising. This gesture serves as a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by these unsung heroes and their contributions to India’s struggle for independence.

In August 2024, MP Saikia wrote a letter to the Union Ministry of Communication to issue a postage stamp on the peasants’ rebellion that had taken place in the sleepy village of Pathorughat 25 years before the infamous Jallianwala Bagh Massacre.

In its letter to the MP, the Director of Postal Services (Mails and BD), Assam Circle, Guwahati, said, “…the proposal for release of Commemorative Postage Stamp and First Day Cover on Peasants’ Uprising of Pathorughat-1894 has been approved by the Postal Directorate, and the same is proposed to be released on 28th January, 2025.”

The Patharughat Uprising, also known as the Battle of Patharughat, was a peasant rebellion against the British in Assam in 1894. The British imposed high land taxes on the farmers after annexing Assam in 1826. The farmers were resentful because they had previously paid taxes in-kind or provided services instead of cash. On January 28, 1894, farmers gathered in a field at Pathorughat to discuss their grievances. When the British officials refused to listen to the farmers, the situation became tense. The police opened fire on the farmers, killing 140–150 people and injuring many others. 

The Assam Government has been observing January 28 as Farmers’ Martyrs’ Day every year.

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