The British authorities invited the Santhals to settle in the Rajmahal Hills. Choose the correct statements-

A. They were the original inhabitants of the Rajmahal Hills
B. They were eager to adopt settled agriculture
C. They were very powerful zamindars
D. The Santhals forced the Paharias to move deeper into the hills, as the British wanted

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

B and D Only

The correct answer is Option 3 - B and D Only

Given statements:

A. They were the original inhabitants of the Rajmahal Hills (INCORRECT)
B. They were eager to adopt settled agriculture (CORRECT)
C. They were very powerful zamindars (INCORRECT)
D. The Santhals forced the Paharias to move deeper into the hills, as the British wanted (CORRECT)

The British authorities invited the Santhals to settle in the Rajmahal Hills as they were eager to adopt settled agriculture and the Santhals forced the Paharias to move deeper into the hills, as the British wanted.

Correction in incorrect statements:

A. Paharias, not Santhals were the original inhabitants of the Rajmahal Hills. The Santhals had begun to come into Bengal around the 1780s. Zamindars hired them to reclaim land and expand cultivation, and British officials invited them to settle in the Jangal Mahals. Having failed to subdue the Paharias and transform them into settled agriculturists, the British turned to the Santhals.

C. Santhals were not zamindars. They were tribal people. The Santhals had a past of continuous mobility, a tireless search for a place to settle. It was in the Damin-i-Koh their journey seemed to have come to an end.