The Tebhaga Movement in Bengal (1946-47) aimed to reduce the share of crops that sharecroppers, known as bargardars, had to give to landowners (jotedars) from one-half to one-third. The movement emerged in North Bengal, specifically in the districts of Dinajpur, Rangpur, Jalpaiguri, and Malda. It was organized by the Bengal Kisan Sabha, a branch of the All India Kisan Sabha, which passed a resolution in 1946 demanding a two-thirds share for the sharecroppers.
The movement arose due to the poor economic conditions of the bargardars, while the jotedars prospered under the Permanent Settlement of 1793, which created intermediary landowners. The peasants, often from scheduled castes and tribes, responded to the call for Tebhaga, particularly during the harvest season. In February 1947, in Khanpur village, after police arrested some bargardars, a mass protest followed, leading to police firing that killed 22 people, including women.
The Tebhaga movement spread rapidly across Bengal, but the colonial government responded with harsh repression, and the movement collapsed by mid-1947. However, around 40% of the sharecroppers were eventually granted Tebhaga rights by landowners.
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