Bhiwani ‘village of rebels’ now in textbooks
Sanjay Yadav
Gurugram, March 16
Rohnat, a nondescript village in Bhiwani district that had played a pivotal role in Indian Rebellion of 1857, will finally have a chapter on it in Class VIII history book.
The chapter has been compiled by experts from the State Council of Education Research and Training (SCERT). “Following the directions of our director Dr Kiranmayee, we had been working on it for the last two years. Finally, a chapter titled ‘Rohnat village contribution to the Revolution of 1857’, will be included in the Class VIII history book,” said Dr Deepti Bokan, HoD, Curriculum Textbook, SCERT, Gurugram.
The village has an intriguing tale of valour that has been passed down from generation to generation. It was on May 29, 1857, when Rohnat villagers broke into the Hisar jail and freed those imprisoned there for participating in the country’s first war of freedom. The jailbreak had witnessed the death of 11 British officials. After this, the British regime unleashed a reign of terror on villagers and branded Rohnat as a ‘village of rebels’. Hundreds of men from the village were crushed under a roadroller in Hansi town, which is now known as ‘Laal Sadak’. Many others were hanged from a tree in the village, while several women and their children jumped into the village well to avoid being caught. The banyan tree and the well still stand there as a remembrance of the horrific torture.
The British later auctioned 20,856 bighas of agricultural land of the villagers, which was purchased by people from the neighbouring areas for a paltry sum of Rs 8,000. Rohnat residents, who were punished or executed, were accorded the status of ‘martyrs’ or ‘freedom fighters’ by people, but never by the government. The village has never celebrated Independence Day. In 2018, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had hoisted the Tricolour for the first time at Rohnat.
“We have narrated endless tales of valour to our future generations, but finally the entire state will know what a small village did during mutiny. This is an acknowledgement of sacrifice of our forefathers,” says Reenu Boora, village sarpanch.
Tale of valour amid british torture
On May 29, 1857, Rohnat villagers broke into the Hisar jail and freed those imprisoned there for participating in the country’s first freedom struggle. The jailbreak also resulted in the death of 11 British officials, following which they cracked down on the villagers and killed several by crushing them under a roadroller and by hanging. Some women and children jumped into the village well to avoid the British torture.
State’s pivotal role in freedom struggle
CB Singh Sheoran, author of ‘Gallant Haryana: The first and crucial battlefield of AD 1857’, says the state played a pivotal role in the freedom struggle, but many tales of sacrifice and heroism could never make it ahead of local lore. “Including a chapter on Rohnat is a commendable effort. Similar recognition should be given to other villages such as Mangali, Bhatol Khurd, Jamalpur, Hajimpur, Kharad Alipur, Kuthi Mangal Kha, Chaudharywas and Sivani.”
