Knowledge Nugget: From Plassey to Emergency: 5 key june events in Indian history

Key takeaways:

#1 Coronation of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (1674)

— June 6, 1674 was an important moment in Maratha history. On this very date, Shivaji Maharaj was crowned at Raigad Fort. He became the first Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire. His formal title after the coronation was ‘Shri Raja Shiva Chhatrapati’, and like some past rulers, he started his own era, the Rājyābhiṣheka shaka.

— Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj  (1630-1680) carved out an independent Maratha kingdom from various Deccan states in the 17th century. He was born to a general who served different Deccan Sultans throughout his life.

— His first direct encounter with the Mughals was during Aurangzeb’s Deccan campaigns of the 1650s. As Aurangzeb went North to fight for the Mughal throne, Shivaji was able to seize further territory. At the time of his death, he held around 300 forts over an area that stretched across the Konkan coast, from Surat to near Goa, and was overlooked by the strategic Western Ghats.

— Crucial to military strategy were the hill forts of the Marathas. At the 47th Session of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) in 2025, the Maratha Military Landscapes, were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

#2 Battle of Plassey (1757): The beginning of British political power in India

— On June 23, 1757, a battle was fought between the British and the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj-ud-Daulah along the banks of the Hooghly River in Bengal that became a turning point in the history of modern India. The Battle of Plassey is commemorated through historical imagination and cultural and literary representations as the moment the British gained control over the Indian subcontinent.

— In 1717 the East India Company secured a royal farman from the Mughal Emperor, which granted them freedom to export and import their goods in Bengal without paying taxes and the right to issue passes or dastaks for the movement of such goods. This farman became a perpetual source of conflict between the Company and the Nawabs of Bengal. The Nawabs of Bengal, from Murshid Quli Khan to Alivardi Khan, have objected to the English interpretation of the farman.

— In 1756, when Siraj-ud-Daulah succeeded his grandfather, Alivardi Khan, he demanded that the English trade on the same basis as they did during the times of Murshid Quli Khan. However, the English refused to comply as they felt strong after their victory over the French in South India.

— The crisis peaked when the EIC refused to comply with the order of the Nawab to demolish their fortifications at Fort Williams in Calcutta. The French Company complied with a similar order and demolished their fortification at Chandernagore. Taking action on non-compliance, Siraj-ud-Daulah marched on to Calcutta and occupied Fort William on 20 June 1756.

— Within a year, the Company retaliated under the military authority of a young and ambitious Robert Clive, who had arrived from Madras after capturing the Maratha fortress at Gheriah. He compelled the Nawab to concede all the demands of the English.

Infographics by NotebookLM

— The English, however, were not satisfied; they were aiming high. They soon realised that as soon as Siraj-ud-Daulah was in power, they would not get maximum concessions. The company signed a treaty with Mir Jafar, agreeing, in return for substantial financial incentives, to help him overthrow the Nawab.

— This led to the decisive Battle of Plassey on 23rd June 1757, where the Company forces, led by Robert Clive, got support from Mir Jafar and Rai Durlabh, defeated the forces of Siraj-ud-Daulah. The Nawab was forced to flee and was captured and put to death by Mir Jafar’s son Miran.

— According to Bipin Chandra, “the battle of Plassey was of immense historical importance; it paved the way for the British mastery of Bengal and eventually of the ‘whole of India. It boosted British prestige and at a single stroke raised them to the status of a major contender for the Indian Empire.”

#3  Santhal Revolt (1855): The Santhal Hul against colonial exploitation

— On June 30, 1855, over 10,000 Santhals were mobilised by their leaders — Kanho Murmu, Chand Murmu, Bhairab Murmu, and Sidho Murmu – to revolt against the East India Company over oppression by revenue officials, zamindars, and corrupt moneylenders. The landmark event in tribal history, referred to as Santhal Hul, took place in Bhognadih village in present-day Jharkhand.

— Kanho and Sidho claimed that they had been visited by Thakur Bonga (the great spirit), who had instructed them to rid their territory of dikus (outsiders) and establish Santhal rule in the region.

— The seeds of the Santhal rebellion or ‘Hul’ – literally, revolution, however, were sown in 1832 when the East India Company created the Damin-i-Koh region in the forested belt of the Rajmahal hills. The area was allocated to the Santhals displaced from Birbhum, Murshidabad, Bhagalpur, Barabhum, Manbhum, Palamau, and Chhotanagpur, all areas of the Bengal Presidency.

— While the Santhals were promised settlement and agriculture in Damin-i-Koh, what followed was the repressive practice of land-grabbing and begari (bonded labour) of two types: kamioti and harwahi. Over the years, Santhals found themselves at the receiving end of exploitative practices aided by the British.

Impact of Santhal Revolt (File photo)

— Murmu brothers led around 60,000 Santhals against the East India Company and engaged in guerrilla warfare that continued for almost six months before being finally crushed on January 3, 1856. More than 15,000 Santhals were killed, and 10,000 villages were laid to waste.

— The British hanged Sidhu to death on August 9, 1855, followed by Kanhu in February 1856. The insurrection ended, but the impact it left was everlasting. The Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act of 1876 (SPT Act) and the Chhotanagpur Tenancy Act (CNT Act), 1908, were the major outcomes of the revolt.

#4 Mountbatten Plan (1947): The road to independence and partition

— India’s road to independence was marked by high-stakes negotiations, political deadlocks, and the deepening Hindu-Muslim divide. The decisive one was the Mountbatten Plan.

— In February 1947, Wavell was replaced as Viceroy by Lord Mountbatten. Mountbatten called one last round of talks, but when these too proved inconclusive, he announced that British India would be freed, but also divided.

— The Mountbatten plan included that the legislative assemblies of Punjab and Bengal were to meet in separate groups of Hindus and Muslims to vote on partition. If a simple majority in either group voted in favour of partition, the respective provinces would be divided. In the event of partition, two dominions and two constituent assemblies would be established. Sindh was allowed to make its own decision, and referendums were to be held in the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) and the Sylhet district of Bengal to determine their fate.

— The Mountbatten Plan essentially conceded the Muslim League’s demand for Pakistan while attempting to retain as much unity as possible. On July 5, 1947, the British Parliament passed the Indian Independence Act, based on the Mountbatten Plan, and it received royal assent on July 18, 1947. The Act was implemented on August 15, 1947.

#5 Emergency Proclamation (1975): A turning point in Indian democracy

— On June 25, 1975, President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, acting on the advice of the Prime Minister, issued a proclamation of Emergency under Article 352(1) of the Constitution. It became one of the turning moments in modern Indian history.

— The Emergency refers to the period from June 25, 1975 to March 21, 1977; during this time, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi used special provisions in the Constitution to impose sweeping executive and legislative consequences on the country.

— Various political and social circumstances in India in 1974 and early 1975 led to the proclamation of the National Emergency. Some of these events were the JP Movement, Allahabad High Court verdict on the Raj Narain case, and the Railway Strike of 1974.

— The emergency was lifted early in 1977 and the Janata Party — the product of the merger of the Jana Sangh, Congress (O), the socialists and Bharatiya Lok Dal — came to power, and Morarji Desai became India’s first non-Congress PM.

BEYOND THE NUGGET: Juneteenth

While June is remembered in India for several landmark historical events, the month also carries global historical significance. One such event is Juneteenth in the United States, which commemorates the end of slavery.

1. Juneteenth, a portmanteau of “June” and “nineteenth,” is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Observed on June 19 every year, it marks a pivotal moment in American history.

2. On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring the freedom of all enslaved people within the rebellious states. However, this proclamation did not immediately free all enslaved individuals, as many slave owners in Confederate territories — Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia — refused to comply.

3. It wasn’t until June 19, 1865, that the last enslaved African Americans in the Confederate states were freed. Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and issued General Order No. 3, announcing the end of slavery in Texas and proclaiming that all enslaved people were free. This date, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, came to be known as Juneteenth.

Post Read Questions

(1) With reference to the history of India, ‘Ulgulan’ or ‘the Great Tumult’ is led by? (UPSC CSE 2020)

(a) Bakshi Jagabandhu

(b) Alluri Sitaramaraju

(c) Sidhu & Kanhu Murmu

(d) Birsa Munda

(2) In 1674, Shivaji was coronated at which of the following forts?

(a) Lohagad

(b) Salher Fort

(c) Raigad Fort

(d) Vijaydurg Fort

(Sources: Explained: What is Juneteenth, why is it a significant day in US history? )

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