Grandchildren of Batak Mian, a cook who refused to poison Mahatma Gandhi during Champaran Satyagraha in 1917, continue to wait for land promised to them by country’s first President Rajendra Prasad in 1952. Mian had refused to follow the orders of a British officer who wanted Gandhi to be poisoned. The cook had endured merciless torture and was evicted from his land by the British for defying the orders. He passed away in 1957. The incident took place when Mahatma Gandhi was on his visit to Motihari to make an inquiry about the bad conditions of indigo farmers in Bihar.
The British manager of an Indigo plantation Erwin had invited Gandhi for dinner and ordered his cook Batak Mian to serve him milk with poison in it. However, the cook refused to follow the orders and help save Gandhi's life, reported news agency PTI.
Mian’s 60-year-old grandson Kalam Ansari was quoted as saying by PTI: “Our grandfather Batak Mian had informed Gandhiji about the plot. But he had to pay heavily for his patriotic act. He was jailed and brutally tortured.”
He also said his grandfather was evicted from his house and was later forced out of the village along with his family for defying the orders by the British.
Meanwhile, Ansari also said, "But, it seems people have forgotten my ancestor's sacrifices. We are now living in abject poverty. Promises made by Rajendra Prasad were not fructified."
After Independent India’a first President Rajendra Prasad was informed about Mian and his family’s hardships in 1950, he had ordered the then collector of Tirhut division to give 50 acres of land to Mian and his sons Rashid Ansari, Sher Mohammed Ansari and Mohammad Jaan Ansari.
However, Mian’s family has received only six acres of the land promised to them near a river in Akwa Parsawni village in Dhanaura panchayat in West Champaran district. Commenting on it, Ansari said out of the six acres, five have been lost to the river due to erosion.
He was quoted as saying by PTI: “We urge the government to allot us some land at a safer place in the district." Ansari has been running from pillar to post with many applications to get the entire land.
Meanwhile, West Champaran District Collector Dinesh Kumar Rai said Mian's family has been given six acres of land and the district administration said it will further look into the matter concerning his family and take appropriate measures.
Sikta assembly constituency's CPI(ML) Liberation MLA Birendra Prasad Gupta said, "The government has constructed a Batak Mian memorial museum and library near Moti Jheel in Motihari but it is not fully functional... the library also does not have books related to Mian or the freedom struggle."
He also said he has written several letters to the authorities about the matter. Gupta also added people must know about the person who saved Gandhiji.