Tilka Manjhi

Baba Tilka Manjhi (or Tilka Murmu) was the first Santal leader who took up arms against the British in the 1789, around 100 years before Mangal Pandey. He organized the Santals to form the Mukti Dal (liberation group) to fight against the resource grabbing and exploitation.

History
The year 1784 is considered as the first armed rebellion against the British and was the beginning of Santhal Hul. It was due to great famine in 1770 and the consequences of Court of Directors orders influenced by William Pitt the Younger -- Court of Director issued ten year of the settlement of Zamindari and later in 1800 - this resulted in minim chance to negotiate between local Zamdindars and Santhal villagers. Baba Tilka Manjhi attacked Augustus Cleveland, British commissioner[lieutenant], and Rajmahal with a Gulel (a weapon similar to slingshot) who died later. The British surrounded the Tilapore forest from which he operated but he and his men held them at bay for several weeks. When he was finally caught in 1784, he was tied to the tail of a horse and dragged all the way to the collector's residence at Bhagalpur, Bihar, India. There, his lacerated body was hung from a Banyan tree.

A statue to him was erected at the spot where he was hanged, after Indian independence, which is nearby residence of S.P. Bhagalpur and named after him. Also the Bhagalpur University was renamed after him - Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University.