Beyond Jallianwala: The need to acknowledge the Tiladi massacre of Uttarakhand

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat  

Tiladi is an open space on the banks of the Yamuna River near Barkot town in Uttarakhand. Anyone tracing the Yamuna Valley must pause to remember this historic site — a place of courage, tragedy, and resistance.

Uttarakhand’s hill regions functioned largely as autonomous areas, even under British rule. The British had strategic interests in the Himalayas but did not directly control these territories until later. In 1790, the region came under the rule of the Gurkhas — at a time when Nepal was not yet a unified political entity. Their control lasted until 1815, when the British defeated them and imposed the Treaty of Sugauli, which defined the River Kali as the boundary between British Garhwal and Nepal.

Afterward, the British confined the Tehri king to his small domain while taking full control of what became known as “British Garhwal.” They also compelled the Tehri rulers to implement land and forest settlement policies that restricted the rights of local people. When King Kirti Shah died, his minor son, Narendra Shah, ascended the throne. By 1927, King Narendra Shah was living a lavish life in Europe, leaving the administration in the hands of Diwan Chakradhar Juyal.

The Diwan’s government imposed new taxes to fund an ambitious plan to build a new capital. Meanwhile, strict forest regulations made the lives of villagers miserable. Access to forests, fishing, and even keeping cattle became restricted or criminalized. Local people were prohibited from collecting minor forest produce, while British settlers such as Frederick Wilson enjoyed vast forest leases, exporting pine and chir timber to Britain.

On May 30, 1930, about five thousand villagers assembled peacefully on the banks of the Yamuna at Tiladi for an Azad Panchayat — an independent people’s gathering — to voice their grievances. Instead of listening, the Tehri Darbar ordered its troops to open fire on the unarmed crowd. Over a hundred people were killed and nearly two hundred injured. The massacre site was far from any major town, but the Darbar’s response was brutal and unrelenting. No apology was ever issued. Instead, survivors were harassed, intimidated, and charged under false cases.

The Tehri Raja refused to support the Indian freedom movement and only acceded to the Indian Union in 1949 — two years after his people revolted. Ironically, his descendants later became representatives in India’s Parliament, yet none ever visited the Tiladi memorial, where locals still gather every year on May 30 to remember the victims.

We rightly demand that the British apologise for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. But why has no one in Uttarakhand demanded an apology from the Tehri monarchy for the Tiladi massacre? Why this silence from historians and intellectuals? Is it because those responsible were from among their own social ranks?

Uttarakhand, a state where the Himalayas, the Ganga, and indigenous traditions hold such importance, must confront its own uncomfortable history. Remembering Tiladi and the Chipko movement is not enough — we must identify those responsible, understand the causes, and ensure that the lessons remain alive. Only then can we honour the sacrifices of those who fought for justice and the dignity of their land.

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Vidya Bhushan Rawat is a human rights defender