In Jharkhand’s Rajmahal, a village with a history of colonial struggle finds itself left behind

Tribal icon Birsa Munda’s village of Ulihatu in Jharkhand’s Khunti Lok Sabha constituency has newly-tarred roads, schools and drinking water supply in most homes. It has been visited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu, and the freedom fighter’s birthday, on November 15, has been designated as ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas (Tribal Pride Day)’.

But 400 km away, in Rajmahal Lok Sabha seat, another village with an older anti-colonial history lies largely forgotten. Bhognadih village was the epicentre of ‘Santal Hul’ — an organised rebellion against the British which took place in 1855, two years before the 1857 mutiny.

Every year, Jharkhand celebrates Hul Diwas, marking the beginning of the rebellion, on June 30 and the birthday of Siddho Murmu — the leader among the six brothers and sisters spearheading the movement — on April 11.

The freedom fighter’s village, however, lacks basic amenities such as regular water supply despite pipelines being given to most of its 90 houses.

“It is a feudal mindset of politicians who reduce the development of any area to rituals. Every year on April 11 and on June 30, politicians arrive to pay homage at the busts of Sidho and his siblings: Kanhu, Chanda, Bhairav, Phulo and Jhano. No one cares to enter the village to see the bad roads or the water scarcity,” says Hemlal Hansda, 19, a first-time voter and a geography student in BSK college of Barharwa, 25 km from Bhognadih.

The village falls under former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren’s Assembly constituency, Barheit, and its incumbent MP is JMM’s Vijay Hansda, who is contesting for a fourth term. It is a Schedule Tribes (ST)-reserved seat and a JMM stronghold.

Experts say that members of Schedule Caste, ST, Mulsims,