BPSC Modern History & Bihar Freedom Struggle: Complete Notes & High-Yield MCQs (35 Marks Blueprint)

1. The 35-Mark Modern History Pillar in BPSC Prelims

Modern History is the undisputed heavyweight champion of the BPSC Preliminary Examination, contributing approximately 32 to 38 questions out of 150.

Crucially, more than half of these questions specifically target Bihar's revolutionary contribution to India's national awakening. Mastering the leaders, organizations, journals, and dates outlined below guarantees a near-perfect score in this foundational section.

2. 1857 Revolt in Bihar: Veer Kunwar Singh & Jagdishpur

The 1857 uprising in Bihar erupted on June 12, 1857, at Rohini village (Deoghar, now Jharkhand) where soldiers of the 5th Irregular Cavalry rebelled.

Key Centers and Leaders to Memorize:

• Patna (July 3, 1857): Led by bookseller Pir Ali Khan, who assassinated British Opium Agent Dr. Lyell. Pir Ali was subsequently arrested and executed by Commissioner William Tayler.

• Danapur Mutiny (July 25, 1857): Three native infantry regiments (7th, 8th, and 40th) mutinied and marched toward Shahabad (Arrah).

• Veer Kunwar Singh of Jagdishpur: The 80-year-old chieftain led revolutionary forces across Bihar and Eastern UP (Azamgarh, Ballia, Rewa). He decisively defeated British forces under Captain Le Grand on April 23, 1858 (celebrated as Vijay Diwas in Bihar), succumbing to battle wounds three days later.

• Amar Singh: Kunwar Singh's brother who continued guerilla warfare in the Kaimur hills until late 1859.

3. Champaran Satyagraha 1917: Tinkathia System & Raj Kumar Shukla

The Champaran Satyagraha was Mahatma Gandhi's first experimental laboratory of Civil Disobedience in India.

• Core Grievance: The oppressive Tinkathia system, under which European indigo planters legally compelled ryots to cultivate indigo on 3/20th of their best agricultural land.

• The Catalyst: Raj Kumar Shukla, a local tenant farmer, persistently persuaded Mahatma Gandhi at the Lucknow Congress Session (1916) to visit Champaran.

• Key Associates: Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Acharya J.B. Kripalani, Brajkishore Prasad, Mazharul Haq, and Anugrah Narayan Sinha accompanied Gandhi.

• Outcome: The British Government formed the Champaran Agrarian Inquiry Committee (with Gandhi as an official member). The committee abolished Tinkathia and compelled planters to refund 25% of illegally extorted revenues.

4. Bihar Provincial Kisan Sabha & Swami Sahajanand Saraswati

Peasant movements in Bihar formed the vanguard of agrarian politics in pre-independence India:

• Bihar Provincial Kisan Sabha (BPKS): Founded in 1929 at the Sonepur Fair by Swami Sahajanand Saraswati (President) and Shri Krishna Singh (Secretary).

• All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS): Established in April 1936 at Lucknow, with Swami Sahajanand Saraswati as President and N.G. Ranga as General Secretary.

• Bakasht Movement (1938–1939): Led by Karyanand Sharma at Barahiya Tal (Monghyr) demanding restoration of lands seized by zamindars during default.

• Rahul Sankrityayan: Led the Ambari Satyagraha (1939) in Chapra for peasant land rights.

5. Quit India Movement (1942) & Jayaprakash Narayan's Azad Dasta

• Patna Secretariat Firing (August 11, 1942): Seven young students were martyred by British police under Patna District Magistrate W.G. Archer while attempting to hoist the National Tricolor over the Secretariat building.

• Jayaprakash Narayan's Prison Break: JP escaped from Hazaribagh Central Jail on Diwali night (November 9, 1942) with Ramanandan Mishra and Yogendra Shukla to organize underground resistance.

• Azad Dasta (Guerrilla Force): Formed by JP in the Rajvilas forest of the Terai region of Nepal to disrupt British communication lines, railways, and telegraphs. Ram Manohar Lohia headed its radio publicity wing.

6. Indian National Congress Sessions Held in Bihar

BPSC consistently asks about the three landmark INC sessions held on Bihar soil: