NEWS: Prime Minister (PM) paid tribute to Bhagwan Birsa Munda on 9th June 2026 on the occasion of his Martyr’s Day.

Birsa Munda

• Birsa Mundaà Was a tribal freedom fighter, socio-religious reformer and folk hero from the Munda tribe of the Chotanagpur region
• Born on 15th November 1875 in present-day Jharkhand.
• Mobilized tribal communities against British colonial rule, landlord exploitation, moneylenders, missionary influence, forced labour and land alienation.
• His movement was influenced by the earlier Sardari Larai or Sardar Movement, which had shaped the political climate against land alienation in Chotanagpur.
• Birsa Munda àOpposed the destruction of the traditional Khuntkatti system, under which tribal communities enjoyed collective customary rights over land.
• He gave the famous slogan “Abua Raj Ete Jana, Maharani Raj Tundu Jana”à “Let our rule be established and the Queen’s rule end.”
• His teachings led to the rise of a distinct faith community known as the Birsait community= emphasised social reform, moral discipline and tribal identity.
• Ulgulan Movementà He led the Ulgulan Movement, or the “Great Tumult,” at the turn of the twentieth century to end British rule, restore tribal self-rule, protect tribal land rights and resist exploitation by outsiders known as dikus.
• Birsa Munda was arrested by the British and died in Ranchi Jail on 9th June 1900
• His struggle later influenced tribal land protection measures, especially the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act, 1908, which restricted the transfer of tribal land to non-tribals.
• His birth anniversary is observed as Janjatiya Gaurav Divas to honour the contribution of tribal communities in India’s history.