Batakh Mian was a cook at the East Champaran, Bihar, residence of a British Indigo plantation proprietor. During Mahatma Gandhi’s 1917 sojourn in Champaran for the Satyagraha, he refused to poison him. As a consequence of Gandhiji’s intervention, the agitation of Champaran Indigo farmers gained momentum.
Gandhiji offended Erwin, a British indigo plantation proprietor, so he devised a plot to kill him.
He invited Gandhiji to dinner and instructed Batakh Mian to contaminate the milk Gandhiji would be served. Mian revealed the conspiracy to Dr. Rajendra Prasad, who accompanied Gandhiji, despite being offered money and receiving death threats, and Gandhiji successfully escaped. However, Batakh Mian had to pay a hefty price for his integrity and courage.
He was captured and subjected to torture. His home was transformed into a crematorium, and he and his family were forcibly expelled from the village. Only in 1950, when then-President Dr. Prasad visited Champaran, was the public made aware of his heroic sacrifice. The President commended him for his courage and praised him on behalf of the country. Batakh Mian’s life is a shining example of the significant contributions made by diverse groups of people to the struggle for Indian independence.
