Consider the following statements about the Santhal Hool of 1855-56: 1. The Santhals were in a desperate situation as tribal lands were leased out 2. The Santhal rebels were treated very leniently by British officials 3. Santhal inhabited areas eventually constituted into separate administrative units called Santhal parganas 4. The Santhal rebellion was the only major rebellion in mid 19th century India Which of the statements given above is / are correct?

The Santhal Hool (1855-56) was triggered by a desperate situation where tribal lands were leased to non-Santhal zamindars and moneylenders, leading to dispossession and debt bondage [4]. Statement 1 is thus correct. Statement 2 is incorrect as the British response was not lenient; they used brutal force, burned villages, and killed thousands of Santhals [5]. Statement 3 is correct because, following the revolt, the British created the Santhal Parganas as a separate administrative unit (Act 37 of 1855) to provide safeguards against exploitation [5]. Statement 4 is incorrect because the mid-19th century saw other major uprisings, such as the Kol Uprising (1831-32) and the Revolt of 1857 [2]. Therefore, only statements 1 and 3 are correct.

Sources

1. [1] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 6: People’s Resistance Against British Before 1857 > The Santhal Rebellion (1855-56) > p. 157
2. [3] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 18: Early Resistance to British Rule > Santhal Hool (rebellion) (1855-56) > p. 292
3. [4] Exploring Society:India and Beyond ,Social Science, Class VIII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 4: The Colonial Era in India > Tribal uprisings > p. 107
4. [5] https://www.britannica.com/event/Santhal-rebellion
5. [2] THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART III, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 9: COLONIALISM AND THE COUNTRYSIDE > 242 THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY – PART III > p. 242