Chirai Thangal

By: Samarendra Chongtham Kangla Online


The observance of the Patriot’s Day in Manipur brings to our collective memory of all the patriots who were hanged by the Britishers in 1891. Every year the 13th of August is being observed as Patriots’ Day. On this fateful day of 1891, the British Government publicly hanged Jubraj Tikendrajit Bir Singh aka Koireng Jubraj and the eighty year-old General, Kangabam Chidananda Singh, popularly known as Thangal General, at Pheidapung (Present day Bir Tikendrajit Park). Only a few people know that there were as many as five patriots of Manipur who were hanged by the Britishers in 1891 for various crimes ranging from the murder of five British Officers to revolt against the Queen Empress of England. While Jubraj Tekendrajit Bir Singh and General Thangal were hanged publicy before an estimated crowd of nearly 8000 Meiteis at Pheidapung, the rest of the patriots were hanged inside the Jail (which was then located inside Kangla near the Nungjeng Pukhri).

They were :-

1. Pukhrambam Phingang : hanged on 25th May 1891
2. Niranjan Subedar : on 8th June, 1891
3. Kangabam Chida Nanda Singh @ Thangal General : 13th August, 1891
4. Jubraj Tekendrajit Bir Singh @ Koireng Jubraj : 13th August 1891
5. Chirai Thangal aka Chirai Naga : 13th October, 1891

Unfortunately, the Government had not yet commemorated the hanging of the other 3 patriots, except by the relatives of the deceased persons in a modest way. Of all those who were hanged by the Britishers in 1891, one peson who occupies a special place in my heart is a hill-man called Chirai Thangal (Chirai Naga, as per British records) today. When there is an invisible line is being drawn between the tribals and non-tribals, a son of the soil, a Naga of Manipur sacrificed his life for the dignity and integrity of his motherland, which is rare in the annals of Manipur.

The two memorial stones at Mayangkhang (on NH 39) tell the immortal tales of patriotism and the ultimate sacrifice of Chirai Thangal, to the passers-by. On the slab of stone is written :-

1. “W.B. Melville, Superintendant, Government Telegraph Department, 1891, March 24. Murdered near this spot: in his sacred memory”.
2. “On March 24, 1891, near this spot cruelly murdered James O’ Brien, Signaller of Telegraph Department; in his sacred memory this stone is raised.”

Born in the hills, brought-up in the wilds of Mayangkhang, the name of Chirai Thangal and his martyrdom would inspire thousands of our contrymen. While writing the history of the freedom struggle of Manipur against the British, the name of this Naga youth from the Thangal tribe would be written in letters of gold. Those were the golden period of Manipur’s history when there hardly existed any difference between hill-men and plains-men; all were the siblings of Mother Manipur.

On the aftermath of the execution of the five British Officers by the Meiteis on 25th March, 1891, the then Maharaja of Manipur Srijut Kulachandradhwaja Singh declared war against the British. Accordingly orders were issued to the Manipur Thanahs (Police out-posts) not to allow any British nationals to excape from Manipur and should they resist: ‘kill them’. The royal proclamation spread like wild fire throughout the hills and plain of Manipur.

Not only the Meiteis, it stirred the hearts of the hill-people too. It is pertinent to recall the role played by Chirai Thangal in connection with the murder of British Telegraph Signaller Mr. James O’Brien and Superintendent of Telegraph, Mr. W.B. Melville on the night of 25th March, 1891, at Mayangkhang Dak Bunglow.

Let us look-back to the sequences of events leading to the murder of the five British Officers by the Meiteis inside Kangla. After his abortive (and foolish) attempt by Mr. Quinton, Chief Commissioner, Assam, to forcibly capture Jubraj Tekendrajit Bir Singh from his residence inside Kangla at night, resulting in the killing of a number of innocent civilians, the Britishers called for truce with the Manipuris. Accordingly, the following British Officers entered Kangla around 9 p.m. on 24 March, 1891 to hold a Durbar (Parley) with the Meiteis.

1. James Wallace Quinton, I.C.S., Chief Commissioner, Assam.
2. Frank St. Clair Grimwood, I.C.S., Political Agent, Manipur.
3. Col. C Mc Dowal Skene, Commanding Officer, 82nd Gurkha Light Infantry.
4. Lt. Walter Henry Simpson, 43rd Gurkha Light Infantry.
5. William Henry Cossins, I.C.S., Asstt. Secretary to the Chief Commissioner.
6. One Bugler (name, not known).

Nothing could be agreed-upon in that Durbar and it broke-up and the Sahib Log were returning to Residency. The enraged mob whose near and dear ones were killed the previous night by the unprovoked attack of the Britishers to Kangla, rushed towards them and in the ensuing mob-fury, Mr. Grimwood, the political Agent, was speared to death by one Pukhrambam Phingang aka Kajao. Subsequently, the remaining four British Officers, along with the Bugler, were also executed in front of Kangla-sha by the Public Executioner. This implies that the Britishers were beheaded by orders from appropriate authority. Some say, it was the order of General Thangal, while others maintain that it was ordered by Jubraj Tekendrajit. Nothing is known for certain and to this day it remains as an unsolved riddle.

As stated above, the Maharaja of Manipur declared war against the Britishers the very next day of the execution i.e. on 25th March, 1891. Accordingly, the three Manipuri Thanas (Police out-posts) at Mao, Tamu and Jiribam were kept-on high alert and troops were sent there. Under the leadership of Heikrujamba Poila and Sapa Subedar, a group of Manipuri sepoys on horseback proceeded towards Mao Thana. On their way, they encountered with the British out-post at Sekmai whose ranks surrendered to the Meiteis without any fight. The column, thereafter, proceeded towards north. When they reached Mayangkhang, it was learnt that two Britishers were staying in the Mayangkhang Dak Bunglow. One Ashang Kut of the Manipuri column went to Mayangkhang Village to solicit help from the Thangal Nagas which was readily extended. While the Manipuri sepoys fire voleys towards the Britishers, the Nagas agreed to raise their war-cry and attack en-masse.

On that fateful day two Britishers viz, James O’Brien, Signaller Telegraph and Mr. W.B. Melville, Superintendent, Government Telegraph Department were camping in the Mayangkhang Dak Bunglow. The first volley of fire from the Meiteis instantly killed Mr. James O’Brien but Mr. W.B. Melville escaped with a rifle under cover of darkness. A search was mounted for him throughout the night. Next morning, he was found lying wounded near a hill stream by Chirai Naga. He killed him and decapitated his head and brought it to his village as a war-trophy. He was hardly 30 years old when this incident happened.

When the Britishers occupied Manipur, Chirai Naga was arrested and tried for the murder of James O’ Brien and W.B. Melville. He was found guilty and sentenced to death. He was hanged on 13th October, 1891 inside the Jail. Along with Chirai Thangal, some of his friends and associates from Mayangkhang were also found guilty of abetment of the murder of Mr. Melville and sentenced to life-imprisonment and deportation to Andaman and Nicobar Islands (at Port Blair).

They are :-
(i) Chowkami Naga, Mayangkhang Village
(ii) Gouho Naga, Mayangkhang Village
It may be recalled with a sense of surprise and shock that among the prosecution witnesses in the trial of Chirai Thangal, there were as many as three of his co-villagers from Mayangkhang who had deposed against Chirai Thangal.

They were :-
(i) Chirang Naga, S/o. Aking Naga age 40 years.
(ii) Kathai, S/o Kangba
(iii) Inaoba, S/o Sariko, age 18 years.

Now, a few words about this small tribe known as Thangal. As a matter of fact, this word ‘THANGAL’ became popular throughout Manipur because of one person viz, General Thangal. A unique Manipuri General, who had rendered his services to three generations of successive kings of Manipur viz, Maharaja Gambhir Singh, Maharaja Sir Chandra Kirti Singh, K.C.S.I. and Maharaja Surchandra Singh, his name became a household word in Manipur but a bitter thorn to the Britisher (who called him THE TONGAL). Whether General Thangal was a Manipuri Meitei or a member of Thangal tribe is outside the scope of my article today.

The small ethnic tribal group called the Thangal tribe appeared in the tribal landscape of Manipur only recently because they are no other than KOIRAO or KHOIRAO Nagas (KOLYA NAGA, according to British writers). At present, the villages in which the KOIRAOS i.e. The THANGALS settled are (i) Mapao Thangal, (ii) Thangal Surung, (iii) Makeng Thangal, (iv) Tumnou Pokpi, (v) Yaikongpao, (vi) Tumuyum Khullen, (vii) Ningthoupham, (viii) Mayangkhang and (ix) Gailongde.
Apart from these villages, there is another village in Tamenglong District called THANGAL. But its inhabitants are not Thangals but Rongmei Nagas.

The Thangal Nagas speak a dialect which is alike to the Maram Nagas and Liangmei Nagas. Their dresses are also quite similar and there is inter-marriage among these tribes. As per the Tribal Bench-mark Survey, 1982, conducted by Manipur Government, the total population of Thangal Nagas are 1593, having a house-hold of 290 only. Now, that the Survey was conducted more than 20 years ago, we may safely presume that the total population of the Thangals today is about 2000. There is no tribe called Thangal that is included in the ST/SC list recognised by the Government. Instead, KOIRAO tribe, which covers the Thangals also, is being included as one of the 33 tribes recognised by the Govt. of Manipur.

(Source: The Koirou Tribe: Mutua Museum).