By 1850, the exploitation by outsiders became unbearable to the Santhals. They decided to fight against the Zamindars, the moneylenders and the government. They wanted to make an ideal world of their own with autonomy. In the beginning their protests were limited to robbing the homes of Zamindars and money lenders. But when the government tried to suppress the Santhals. the protests became violent. The rebels attacked “the Police and zamindars. They made their own army units and fought against their persecutors using guerrilla tactics. The leaders of the Santhal Revolt were two brothers – Sindhu and Kanu. The Revolt lasted 6 months. Finally the government put down the Revolt.
After suppressing the Revolt, the Government gave the Santhals a new area. It was called Santhal Pargana. It was some distance away from the Bhagalpur and Birdam districts. Government also made some reforms for the welfare of the Santhals. All these things were done with the intention of pacifying the Santhals.
