Grandchildren of cook who refused to poison Mahatma Gandhi await land promised by President Rajendra Prasad

Patna, August 15

Grandchildren of Batak Mian, a cook who defied the orders of a British officer to poison Mahatma Gandhi during Champaran Satyagraha in 1917, still await the entire land promised later by independent India’s first President Rajendra Prasad in 1952.

Mian, who had to endure brutal torture and eviction from his land at the hands of the British for his patriotic act, died in 1957.  According to popular accounts of the 1917 event, the incident took place when Mahatma Gandhi visited Motihari, the then headquarters of undivided Champaran district, to enquire about the appalling condition of indigo farmers.

Erwin (known only by his first name), the British manager of an indigo plantation, had invited Gandhi for dinner and asked his cook, Batak Mian, to serve him milk laced with poison. However, he refused to carry out the order and exposed the plot, saving Gandhi’s life. The movement of the indigo farmers, which came to be known as Champaran Satyagraha, became a historic event in the Indian freedom struggle and finally, the British were forced to accept the demands of the agitating peasants.

“Our grandfather Batak Mian had informed Gandhiji about the plot. But he had to pay heavily for his patriotic act. He was jailed and brutally tortured. He, along with his family, was evicted from his house and forced out of the village,” his grandson, Kalam Ansari (60), told PTI.

“But, it seems people have forgotten my ancestor’s sacrifices. We are now living in abject poverty. Promises made by Rajendra Prasad have not fructified,” he added.

When Prasad was informed of hardships faced by Mian and his family in 1950, he had ordered the then collector of Tirhut division, which comprises six districts including East and West Champaran, to provide 50 acres of land to Mian and his sons Rashid Ansari, Sher Mohammed Ansari and Mohammad Jaan Ansari.

“However, we received only six acres of the promised land near a river at Akwa Parsawni village in Dhanaura panchayat in West Champaran district. Of the six acres, five have been lost to the river due to erosion. We urge the government to allot us some land at a safer place in the district,” Kalam Ansari, who has run from pillar to post with applications, said.

West Champaran District Collector Dinesh Kumar Rai said Mian’s family had been provided with six acres of land and the district administration would look into issues concerning his family and take appropriate measures.