Anthony Murmu, belonging to the Santal tribe in Eastern India, was one of the fifteen victims of a massacre in 1985. A one-time Member of the Indian Parliament, Murmu was once a Jesuit priest. Due to political compulsions to serve his people better for their welfare, he opted out to become a social activist and people’s animator.
The scene of the massacre was Banjhi market 20 kilometres from the district HQ of Sahibganj in Jharkhand, eastern India. The moneylender cum business community had turned exploiters and extortionist, victimizing the poor indigenous people, the Santals and the Malto hill tribe.
Through money lending the exploiters had grabbed much of the land belonging to the indigenous. Increasing exploitation and poverty had become oppressive. That was when the people, under Murmu’s leadership sought to represent the matter to the Sub-divisional Magistrate (SDM) who had come to the market hearing about the gathering of the people.
Murmu and four other leaders were chosen to meet the officer. But, the result was the SDM’s order for firing. The firing operation was done by the police force and the waiting money lenders. 14 people lay dead in the market area while Anthony Murmu was not seen anywhere. It was learnt later that Murmu’s dead body was taken to far away Bhagalpur district for post-mortem.
A Commission of Enquiry was constituted by the then Bihar state government. Nothing came out of the Commission’s findings. The unfeeling presiding judge who enquired into the atrocity gave clean chit to the district administration and to the murderers.
Murmu and 14 others who became martyrs are a great inspiration for the indigenous who have decided to take their destiny into their own hands and to move forward with determination without bending their knees before oppressive might.