Question

Fill in the blank with the appropriate word from the options given below :
The Government of India pressurised the Government of _________ to set-up a commission of enquiry to investigate into the causes of the ‘Deccan Riots’.

• A. Calcutta
• B. Madras
• C. Delhi
• D. Bombay

Hint:

• The riots started in Supa, a large village in Poona district.
• The Deccan Riots Commission Report is a primary source for understanding the colonial agrarian crisis.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Concept:

• The Deccan Riots of 1875 were a series of peasant uprisings in the Poona and Ahmednagar districts of the Bombay Presidency.
• The riots were directed against the 'Sahukars' (moneylenders) who used the Ryotwari system to exploit the indebted peasantry.
• The British authorities were initially reluctant to intervene but were forced to act as the unrest threatened agrarian stability.

Step 1: Understanding the administrative jurisdiction
The riots took place in the Bombay Presidency. Initially, the Government of Bombay was reluctant to admit that the uprising was due to the high land revenue rates or the failures of British policy. They preferred to view it as a law and order issue caused by the rapacity of moneylenders.

Step 2: Intervention by the Central Government
The Government of India, concerned that the unrest might spread to other regions, pressurized the provincial Government of Bombay to set up a formal commission of inquiry.
As a result, the Deccan Riots Commission was formed, which produced a report in 1878. This led to the passing of the Deccan Agriculturists' Relief Act in 1879, which aimed to protect the peasants from the arrest and imprisonment for non-payment of debts.