"After the rebellion was crushed, the region was searched, suspects w…

"After the rebellion was crushed, the region was searched, suspects were picked up, and villages set on fire." Pictures of the burning villages were shown in England. Which rising is this?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 2

The correct answer is Option (2) → The Santhal Revolt

Option (1) The Deccan Riots — Incorrect. The Deccan Riots of 1875 were attacks by ryots on moneylenders and their account books in the Bombay Deccan.

Option (2) The Santhal Revolt — Correct. The account describes the crushing of the Santhal Revolt of 1855-56, when Santhal villages were burnt and the pictures shown in England.

Option (3) The Paharia resistance in the Rajmahal hills — Incorrect. The Paharias of the Rajmahal hills raided the plains and were hunted by the British in the 1770s, long before such press pictures.

Option (4) The jotedars' resistance to the zamindars in Bengal — Incorrect. Jotedars resisted zamindars in Bengal by delaying revenue payments and mobilising ryots, a slow pressure on the zamindars.

NCERT (2026-27): “2.2 The Santhals: Pioneer settlers …
By the 1850s, the Santhals felt that the time had come to rebel against zamindars, moneylenders and the colonial state, in order to create an ideal world for themselves where they would rule. It was after the Santhal Revolt (1855-56 ) that the Santhal Pargana was created, carving out 5,500 square miles from the districts of Bhagalpur and Birbhum. The colonial state hoped that by creating a new territory for the Santhals and imposing some special laws within it, the Santhals could be conciliated.”

“Illustrated London News, 23 February 1856 After the rebellion was crushed, the region was searched, suspects were picked up, and villages set on fire. Images of the burning villages were shown to the public in England – once again as a demonstration of the might of the British and their ability to crush rebellion and impose colonial order.”