Lushai Rising
The Lushai Rising was the conflict between the British and the Lushai chiefs in 1890-1895, which began following the annexation of the Lushai Hills after the Chin-Lushai Expedition. It concerned the Western chiefs, the Eastern chief and Southern chiefs separately at different intervals. By 1895, the Lushai resistance and rising was considered over.
Background
The annexation of the Lushai Hills saw punitive expeditions with a new goal to annex the Lushai Hills and establish a garrison to control the raiding of the Lushai tribes. However, after the expedition ended in April 1890, not all Lushai chiefs supported the annexation and influential chiefs formed organized resistances as a result. Two offices of political officers were created in the North and South Lushai Hills. The tasks were to pacify the tribes and establish outposts.Western Lushai Rising
Murder of H.R Browne
Captain H.R Browne was appointed as political officer of the North Lushai Hills on 1 April 1890. On 13 June 1890, Browne held a durbar of chiefs and announced that Lianphunga and Zahrâwka would be deposed from chieftainship for a term of four years for their raid on Chengri Valley and fined 15 guns. Lengpunga had escaped the British during the Chin-Lushai Expedition and built up new settlements instead. Browne had to choose the punishment carefully to balance the interests of not antagonising the chiefs and not showing weakness in the British occupation of the Lushai Hills.Browne, as a political officer of the North Lushai Hills, focussed on bringing stability with the development of roads. With the inability and insecurity to import coolies to construct the road, Browne opted to request quotas of Lushai men under the chiefs to work as coolies in forced labour. Kalkhama who realized that revenue would be taken from the chiefs and their freedom to hunt their own jungles led him to cast aside his oath of fealty with Browne. Khalkam held a meeting in his zawlbuk with other chiefs. The chiefs, Thangula, Thanruma, Lenkhunga, Lalrima, Minthang and Rankupa. Khalkam who was considered the head of the Western Lushai chiefs after his father, Suakpuilala plotted to revolt against the British.
Kalkhama became antagonistic to the British as the older brother of Lianphunga. The burning of Liangphunga's villages and the establishments of outposts in the Lushai Hills made him resist British annexation. Kalkhama using his influence got another chief, Thansuma, with a war party to ambush Browne during his travels between Fort Aijal and Changsil. On 9 September 1890, Browne was accompanied by a small party of four police sepoys from Fort Aijal to his post in Changsil. In the ambush, three of his men were killed, and Browne was stabbed in the arm with 3 severe wounds and excessive bleeding. Browne was mortally wounded and died 15 minutes later after being brought to the post. Thanruma had, under a friendly pretence met with Browne and informed his accomplices of his whereabouts. Thansuma, a subordinate chief to Kalkhama, was chiefly responsible in the ambush and murder of Captain Browne. Thansuma had arranged for 300 Lushai warriors to surround Browne's small party. Only one man was able to escape the ambush and to Silchar and inform of the events concerning Captain Browne.
Attack on Fort Aijal and Changsil Post
Kalkhama subsequently attacked Fort Aijal and overran the British stronghold. Changsil was also besieged by the Lushais. Surgeon H.B. Melville commanded Aijal Fort, while Lieutenant Harry W.G Cole commanded Changsil Post. Melville recorded at 9am a sepoy and four coolies arriving at the fort and informing of shots being fired at their party from Thanruma's village. The survivors reported the deaths of many sepoys and coolies. The coolies had lost all these blanets and clothing. Melville made a rapid heliograph of the news to Lieutenant Cole at Changsil. Cole replied of an attack on the outpost and questioning Browne's status. Melville would repeat his lack of knowledge on Browne before Lieutenant Cole would report Browne brought to Changsil heavily wounded. Browne had been escorted and died ten minutes later. Melville immediately ordered Browne's bungalow to be evacuated with the coolies moving all of his belongings and furniture into Fort Aijal apart from heavy furniture. The Lushais would fire upon the Fort for a few hours before the coolies could properly move the heavy furniture into Fort Aijal as well with the guards withdrawn from the bungalow. Harry Cole was the commandant of the Surma Valley Military Police Battalion, which had 170 military police personnel with him. At Fort Aijal, the British were in the process of building a second stockade before being ambushed without prior warning. The party was driven out into the main stockade, which was surrounded by the Lushais, who attacked for several hours. The bodies of the Lushais revealed that the whole countryside was in revolt. The first night of the rising saw firing of volleys at the fort all night long which Melville estimated at most 200-300 Lushais. The bungalow was fired the night and completely burned down with ambiguous causaltis of the Lushai. British reports commented that it was not only Khalkam and Thanruma opposing violently but the whole of the Western Lushai Hills. Heavy downpour had stifled communication between the British and made the terrain difficult to navigate.The Changsil Outpost was besieged on 10 September 1890. This battle involved the famous Pasalṭha, Khuangchera and his friend. During the siege, the soldiers shot and killed Khuangchera's companion. According to Mizo custom, the dead body of a friend isn't left behind or forsaken on the battlefield, and according to the Pasalṭha code, Khuangchera attempted to carry his friend's body. However, the soldiers at Changsil Fort fired at Khuangchera, leading to his death.
The following day, on 10 September, Fort Aijal's smaller fort was further fortified. Additional ammunition was brought to the fort, with men digging, firing pits, and patrolling their posts. Reports made by the senior jemadar reported the firing throughout the night expended 1500 rounds of ammunition with 30000 remaining. The same day, a missing sepoy arrived at the small fort without weapons or ammunition, which he had hidden in the jungle and escaped from the Lushais along with two coolies. The coolies in Fort Aijal were assigned to cut down the jungle around the fort. Melville records the small fort as only maintaining 34 sepoys, one havildar and one jemadar. The larger fort maintained 108 sepoys, including non-commissioned officers and three native offices. Along with 25 total coolies across both, a total of 151 people were locked down. Based on the warehouse reports, rations within Fort Aijal were specified to last for at least two months. Medical supplies also became scarce as quinine became reserved for the sepoys, with all other cases of fever to be treated with arsenic. Most men, including those within the fort hospital, were willing to fight throughout the night, while the sickest of the sepoys were made to remain within. Melville further ordered lenient rations of wine, tinned milk, and meat extract for the sick sepoys. The following morning the coolies cut more jungle and assembled logs lying outside to strengthen the structure of the stockades and make the fortifications bulletproof.
Melville continued to water the fort and maintain the defence responsibilities. Communications with Lieutenant Cole defending Changsil became obscured via heliograph after bad weather blocked the sun. Afterwards Cole heliographed that there was no response from the Sairang guards being requested for backup, and it was assumed they had been killed or overran. Melville subsequently placed the coolies into the fort hospital and moved the sick into the dispensary for better recovery. Concerns were raised over the supply of lime juice, vegetables, and fresh meat and whether the government would supply them. The threat of dysentery and scurvy was a concern. Melville utilised Brown's tins of cocoa and milk after wet and cold nights in the stockades to maintain morale among the sepoys and officers.
On 13 September, Melville reported heavy assaults by Lushai warriors in two waves. The first wave occurred from 9-11 am, with the second from 2- 3:30 am. No casualties were reported as the bullets were fired higher than the posts on the fort. Signal fires were burned in the surrounding villages which threatened a fire emergency at the fort. Melville remarked on the luck of the wind direction and ordered the fort to be unroofed and all straw mat walls to be taken down. The same order was carried out for the cook houses and the hen houses, which were dismantled. The following day, communications with Cole revealed the Sairang guard and Browne's party of sepoys to be safe.
On 16 September, firing was heard at 9:30 am. Ten sepoys were assigned to fight back, and after two volleys, the Lushais scattered once more. Lieutenant Cole, via heliograph, assured that a party of 200 sepoys would arrive to relieve Fort Aijal and questioned how much ammunition was remaining. The subedar reported that 6000 cartridges had been expended, which was used as a reply. Sailenpui's village would be deserted via an observation made by Melville on 17 September, prompting the British to assume whether he had joined Khalkam and the rising or mainly just travelled to harvest their jhums.
On 21 September, Lieutenant Cole heligraphed their travel to be only a few days away. Melville would relay the state of the fort and the remaining amount of rations fit for only a week and only consisting of lentil and ghee. Singal fires observed in Thanruma, Sailenpui, Lalluia, Lalrima and Lalbura's villages were also relayed after observation. However reveleations by the warehouse manager revealed the remaining lentils were defective and caused dysentery. This prompted Melville to inspect the food stock himself to properly inform Cole of the issue of rations.
The officials in Cachar sent two despatchments to relieve Fort Aijal and Changsil. The relief force sonsited of 200 men from the Surma Valley Military Police from Silchar led by A.C Tytler and Lieutenant R.R Swinton of the 44th Benagl Infantry. Mr A.W. Shuttleworth, the assistant superintendent of Police also accompanied the force. One of the detachments was attacked en-route while navigating the river to Fort Aijal. Lieutenant Swinton was killed on 26 September while navigating the force up the river to Changsil, with many men wounded. After the relief of Changsil post, H.W.G Cole and A.C Tytler marched towards Fort Aijal with Liuetenant Watson of the 40th Bengal Infantry. They reached Fort Aijal on 4 October and relieved Dr Melville's defense. Surgeon Captain Melville and Lieutenant H.W.G Cole were credited for defending Aijal and Changsil by holding out for reinforcements via the Dhaleswari river. Chief Commissioner of Assam, Quinton, commented on Melville's leadership and novelty in military affairs and handling the siege with 110 native officers and 43 individuals who suffered from the weather, food shortages and lack of warm clothing. Melville's diary stated that 5 out of 6 men had no warm clothing at all during the month long siege.