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{{Short description|Indian politician and veteran}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Nirmal Munda
| image = Nirmal_Munda.png
| native_name = निर्मल मुंडा
| native_name_lang = sck
| office = Member of Second [[Odisha Legislative Assembly]]
| term_start = 1957
| term_end = 1961
| predecessor = Madan Mohan Amat
| successor = Premchand Bhagat
| constituency = Bisra (ST)
| birth_date = 1893
| birth_place = Bartoli village, P.S. Raiboga, [[Gangpur State|Gangpur]]
| death_date = 2 January 1973
| death_place = [[Bartoli, Odisha|Bartoli]], [[Biramitrapur]], [[Odisha]]
| party = [[Independent politician|Independent]]
| parents = Marha Munda<br />Gomi Munda
| residence = [[Bartoli, Odisha|Bartoli]], PO-Raiboga, [[Sundergarh district]]
| profession = World War I veteran, Agrarian leader, Freedom fighter, Politician
}}

'''Nirmal Munda''' (1893 - 2 January 1973) was an agrarian leader, a freedom fighter and a World War I veteran from the Munda tribe from [[Bartoli, Odisha|Bartoli village]] in the former princely state of [[Gangpur State|Gangpur]] (now in [[Sundergarh district]], [[Odisha]]). He was the leader of the Munda agitation of 1937-39, who organised the tribals of Gangpur to refuse to pay exorbitant taxes and demanded ''khuntkatti'' rights.<ref name="das">{{cite thesis |last=Das |first=Sarita |date=2007 |title=Emergence of political leadership in Sundargarh |chapter=Chapter IV – Freedom Movement in Sundargarh |publisher=Department of Political Science, Sambalpur University |url=http://hdl.handle.net/10603/187203 }}</ref><ref name="oa">{{cite web |url=http://www.odishaassembly.nic.in/image.aspx?img=1084 |title=Late Nirmala Munda |author= |date= |website=[[Odisha Legislative Assembly]] |publisher= National Informatics Centre, Odisha }}</ref><ref name="osm">{{cite journal |last1=Mishra |first1=Umakanta |last2=Behari |first2=Shibanarayan |last3=Behera |first3=Anam |last4=Kumar Panda |first4=Dr. Soroja |last5=Mohanty |first5=Bhagyashree|last6=Pradhan|first6=GC|last7=Bhattacharya|first7=Dr. Deepak|last8=Mishra|first8=Dr. Dadhibaman|last9=R. Behera|first9=Puspita|last10=Singh|first10=Brijesh Kumar|last11=Rath|first11=Rabi Sankar|last12=Limma|first12=Dr. Samuel|last13=Jena|first13=Chitta Ranjan|date=2019|title=Tribal Freedom Fighters of Odisha|url=http://odishamuseum.nic.in/sites/default/files/LVIII%201&2%20NIC.pdf|journal=The Odisha Historical Research Journal |volume=LVIII|page=126-127|publisher=Dr. Jayanti Rath, Superintendent of Museum|location=[[Odisha State Museum|Odisha State Museum, Bhubaneswar]]}}</ref><ref name="odg">{{cite report |title=Odisha District Gazetteers Sundargarh |publisher=Gopabandhu Academy of Administration (Gazetteers Unit) General Administration Department Government of Odisha |url=http://www.gopabandhuacademy.gov.in/sites/default/files/gazetter/Sundargarh_Gazetteer.pdf |author=Dr Taradatt}}</ref><ref name="ett">{{cite web |url=https://www.etribaltribune.com/index.php/volume-2/mv2i8/simko-genocide-a-testimony-of-tribal-protest|title=Simko Genocide A Testimony of Tribal Protest|last=Das|first=Kailash Chandra|publisher=The Tribal Tribune|date=2018|website=ETribalTribune}}</ref><ref name="jstor">{{cite journal|last=Mishra|first=Kishore Chandra|title=Prajamandal Movements in the Feudatory States of Western Orissa|date=2008|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44147218|journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress|volume=69|page=548|publisher=Indian History Congress|jstor=44147218}}</ref>

==Early life==
Munda was born at Bartoli village under Raiboga P.S. in 1893, in the family of father Marha Munda and mother Gomi Munda in the ex-state of [[Gangpur State|Gangpur]]. He received lower primary education at [[Bartoli, Odisha|Bartoli]]. For his upper primary education, he went to [[Rajgangpur]]. After completion of upper primary education, he went to Karanjo (now in [[Jharkhand]]) for middle education. After that, in 1917, he went to [[Ranchi]] GEL Church High School. While studying in high school, he was recruited by the [[British Indian Army|British Army]] and left for France on 17 November 1917, during the First World War. He returned to Bartoli in July 1919.<ref name="das"/>

==Munda agitation in Gangpur==
Between 1929 to 1935, the land revenue settlement of Gangpur increased at alarming rates. The Upendranath Ghosh settlement (1929-1931) followed by the Indrabilas Mukherjee settlement (1932-1935) marks the beginning of tribal discontent. The Mukherjee settlement of 1932 did allow the uplands to be left from assessment in exchange of ''bethi'' and ''begari'' ( forced labour services without pay to the state by the tenant). Later it was realised that the practice of bethi and begari was only used for minor road repairs. Bethi and begari were often misused and oppressive to the tribals as they would be forced to leave their work during busy times. In 1936, the system of leaving uplands from rent assessment in exchange for bethi and begari was discontinued; now all lands were assessed to rent. This was the major reason behind tribal discontent.<ref name="das"/><ref name="osm"/><ref name="ett"/><ref name="jstor"/>

The Munda tribals of Dahijira village refused to pay rent and others supported them. The Mundas filed several petitions before the viceroy protesting the exorbitant taxes. In 1938, Nirmal Munda organised the tribals of the region to stop paying taxes. Inspired by Jaipal Singh, Nirmal Munda organized the tribals to stop paying taxes and demanded reduction of rent, He also demanded khuntkhatti rights and the abolition of bethi and begari. The agitation spread throughout Gangpur.<ref name="das"/><ref name="osm"/><ref name="odg"/><ref name="jstor"/>

The ''darbar'' (royal court) found it almost impossible to collect tax. Criminal cases were started and warrants were issued against some of the agitators. These coercive measures did not stop the movement, Nirmal Munda made covert meetings at secret locations with the agitators. The queen of Gangpur sought help of the political agent at Sambalpur to suppress the agitation by arresting Nirmal Munda.<ref name="ett"/>

===Amko Simko massacre===
{{Main|Amko Simko massacre}}
It was given out that the queen had accepted the agitators demands and was going to declare good news at Simko village (where Nirmal Munda had a residence). On 25 April 1939, thousands of tribals had gathered at the Amko Simko field under the leadership of Nirmal Munda. The queen, along with political agent Lt. E. W. Marger and two platoons of troops appeared at the field with the sole intention to arrest Nirmal Munda on charges of holding seditious meetings and assaulting a village chawkidar.<ref name="ett"/><ref name="jstor"/>

According to Fabianus Ekka - the queen asked, "Who is Nirmal Munda?" The crowd recognized the evil intention of the queen and introduced themselves as Nirmal Munda.<ref name="fbekka">{{cite AV media| people=Surjit Minj, Student (Interviewer) & Fabianus Ekka, Amko villager (Interviewee) | date=4 Oct 2021 | title=Amko-Simko | type=Videotape | language=Sadri | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4M4oeaTxCg | publisher=Fr Albert Xess}}</ref> Soon, scuffles broke out and the crowd armed with lathis, axes and other crude weapons resisted the arrest of their leader. The police, finding the situation unfavorable, opened fire upon the crowd. This lead to the death of 49 and injured many. The dead bodies were given a mass burial at Brahmanmaara. Some sources suggest that the number of deaths were higher.<ref name="jstor"/><ref name="osm"/>

Nirmal Munda was arrested and sentenced to six years of imprisonment at Sundergarh and Sambalpur, but was only released from jail on 15 August 1947. With the arrest of Nirmal Munda, the agitation came to an end.<ref name="das"/><ref name="osm"/><ref name="ett"/><ref name="jstor"/>

==Praja Mandal movement in Gangpur==
Dhananjaya Mohanty, a congress leader and a freedom fighter from Gangpur, who had also worked in the Munda agitation, once tried to persuade the tribal leaders of Gangpur to form a Praja Mandal (people's association). Nirmal Munda was not interested in the Praja Mandal movement and wanted to fight for their cause with a separate identity.<ref name="das"/>

==After independence==
Nirmal Munda contested the [[1957 Odisha Legislative Assembly election|Odisha State Assembly elections in 1957]] as an independent candidate from Bisra (ST) constituency and won. He was awarded ''tamra patra'' (bronze plaque) by the then Prime Minister [[Indira Gandhi]] in 1972, recognizing him as a freedom fighter. He died in Bartoli on 2 January 1973.<ref name="das"/><ref name ="oa"/><ref name="osm"/>

==After death==
After his death, an obituary of Nirmal Munda was made in the [[Odisha Legislative Assembly|Odisha legislative assembly]] on 29 March 1974.<ref name="oa"/> In 2017, family members of Nirmal were felicitated by Prime Minister [[Narendra Modi]], honouring them.<ref name="otv">{{cite news |author= |date=16 April 2017 |title=Paika Revolt: Modi Felicitates Odia Freedom Fighters' Kin |url=https://odishatv.in/odisha/body-slider/paika-revolt-modi-felicitates-odia-freedom-fighters-kin-207631 |location= [[Bhubaneswar]]|work= [[Odisha TV|OTV]]}}</ref>

===Commemoration===
* Proposed '''Statue of Nirmal Munda''' at Vedvyas Chowk<ref name="tp">{{cite news |last=Das |first=Aurabinda |date=27 April 2019 |title=80 yrs on, Amco-Simco martyrs yet to get recognition |url=https://www.dailypioneer.com/2019/state-editions/80-yrs-on--amco-simco-martyrs-yet-to-get-recognition.html |work=[[The Pioneer (India)|The Pioneer]] |location=[[Rourkela]]}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Munda, Nirmal}}
[[Category:1893 births]]
[[Category:1973 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian independence activists]]
[[Category:Adivasi]]
[[Category:Scheduled Tribes of India]]
[[Category:Indian revolutionaries]]
[[Category:Munda people]]
[[Category:History of Odisha]]
[[Category:Indian independence activists from Odisha]]
[[Category:People from Sundergarh district]]

Nirmal Munda - Revision history

>Ira Leviton: Added a hidden message.