There was communal violence between

Parsi Parsis () or Parsees are an ethnoreligious group of the Indian subcontinent adhering to Zoroastrianism. They are descended from Persians who migrated to Medieval India during and after the Arab conquest of Iran (part of the early Muslim conq ...

s and Bharuchi Sunni Vohra

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

s in May 1857 in Broach (now

Bharuch Bharuch (), formerly known as Broach, is a city at the mouth of the river Narmada in Gujarat in western India. Bharuch is the administrative headquarters of Bharuch District. The city of Bharuch and surroundings have been settled since tim ...

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

) in India.

Background

Bharuch is a major trading port on the west coast of India. As Bharuch was an old settlement of Parsis, there were a considerable number of Parsis in the town. Bahram Mowbed, the younger brother of Zanhosht Mowbed, was one of the early priests to settle in Bharuch. A

tower of silence A ''dakhma'' ( fa, دخمه), also known as a Tower of Silence, is a circular, raised structure built by Zoroastrians for excarnation (that is, the exposure of human corpses to the elements for decomposition), in order to avert contaminat ...

in Bharuch was established in 1309. There was a riot in Bombay six months before the event.

Riot

On 10 May 1857, just five days after the beginning of the

Indian rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...

, a Parsi named Bejonji Sheriaiji Bharuch was accused of disrespecting a mosque by some Muslims and the riots broke out. After five days, 200 Muslims gathered near Bawa Rahan shrine in the north of the town. The police approached but were unable to stop the mob. The mob attacked Dastur Kamdin Dar-e Mihr, a

fire temple A fire temple, Agiary, Atashkadeh ( fa, آتشکده), Atashgah () or Dar-e Mehr () is the place of worship for the followers of Zoroastrianism, the ancient religion of Iran (Persia). In the Zoroastrian religion, fire (see ''atar''), together wi ...

, and killed its High Priest, Ervad Ardeshir Hormazdji Kamdin. They lynched Bejonji Sheriaiji Bharuch and dragged his body for several lanes. They also attacked Shapurji Narielwala Fire Temple (consecrated in 1783) and also injured its High Priest, Ervad Meherwanji Muncherji Kamdin. Mr. Davies, the

Magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...

of Bharuch and the Collector, could not stop the riots. The troops were brought in from nearby towns of

Vagra Vagra is one of the 182 Legislative Assembly constituencies of Gujarat state in India. It is part of Bharuch district. List of segments This assembly seat represents the following segments, # Vagra Taluka # Bharuch Taluka (Part) : Villages ...

, Amod,

Ankleshwar Ankleshwar (sometimes written Ankaleshwar) is a city and a municipality in Bharuch district in the state of Gujarat, India. The city is located 14 kilometres from Bharuch. Ankleshwar Industrial Association (AIA) is the largest organisation of ...

and

Hansot ’Hansanagari’ but well known as Hansot is a village in Bharuch district, Southern Gujarat, India. It is about southwest of the city of Bharuch, and south of the Narmada River. The village and its surrounding ''taluka'' were acquired by th ...

. Lt. Richardson led the British contingent sent to bring the peace.

Aftermath

The Parsis of Bharuch petitioned the Chief of Police of the

Bombay Presidency The Bombay Presidency or Bombay Province, also called Bombay and Sind (1843–1936), was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India, with its capital in the city that came up over the seven islands of Bombay. The first mainl ...

, Bettington, on 19 May 1857 to examine the role of Head Constable. They also petitioned the Governor's Council to establish a commission for investigation. They told Parsi

Panchayat The Panchayat raj is a political system, originating from the Indian subcontinent, found mainly in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. It is the oldest system of local government in the Indian subcontinent, and historical ment ...

to use their influence.

Alexander Kinloch Forbes Alexander Kinloch Forbes (7 July 1821 – 31 August 1865) was a colonial administrator in British India. Early life Forbes was born in London on 7 July 1821 to John Forbes-Mitchell (1786-1822) of Thainston and Ann Powell (m. 1809 d. 1861). He was ...

, the Sessions Judge, sentenced imprisonments to 39 out of 61 persons arrested. Two were hanged for the killing of Bharucha and the High Priest. The riots were examined in their connection with the rebellion in 1857 by historians. Taking advantage of the situation, there were attempts to incite the Muslim population to organise disturbance against the

British government ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_es ...

by the rebels. There was another riot between Parsis and Muslims on 26 November 1885 when land to build a

Dargah A dargah ( fa, درگاه ''dargâh'' or ''dargah'', Turkish: ''dergâh'', Hindustani: ''dargah'' दरगाह درگاہ, bn, দরগাহ ''dorgah'') is a shrine or tomb built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often ...

was not granted by the authorities. As there were Parsi members in the

Municipal Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counci ...

, they were accused of not granting it. ''Khasumate Gujarat'' (August 1858), compiled by a school teacher, Ervad Kaikhushru Pestonji Vakil, in

Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub- ...

, gives a detailed account of the event.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1857 Bharuch riots History of Gujarat 1857 in India 1857 riots Riots and civil disorder in India Religious riots Religiously motivated violence in India Attacks on religious buildings and structures in India Persecution by Muslims Crime in Gujarat Indian Rebellion of 1857 Zoroastrianism in India Anti-Zoroastrianism Bharuch

Background

Riot

Aftermath

See also

References