257. Dudu Mnia (1819-1860),258. Durjan Singh

Dudu Mnia was born in 1819 in Faridpur. His father was founder of Pharaji religion. He went to Macca in his early days and after  returning from that place  he established the religion and began to promote its verdict.He was the revolutionary ( 1837-48) of the views of Pharaji in Faridpur, which took severe  shape. He abolished taxation of general public and collected tax from the rich. Appointing senior citizens as judges, he established a court for trial.The govt. arrested him several times but had to release him . During Great Revolution in 1857, the govt. arrested him as a preventive measure. His health deteriorated .

Durjan Singh ; The name of the adibasis of Bankura is "Choyar". During British regime the land systems had been completely changed. As a result the adibasis lost their rights of their land.
 The Chuar Rebellion of Midnapore and Bankura (1798-99) and the Laik Rebellion of Midnapore (1806-16)

In 1798-99, the massive rebellion that broke out in South-West Bankura and in North-West Midnapore, is known in history as the Chuar Rebellion. The British rulers and some Zemindars of Midnapore insultingly called the tribal and oppressed people of Midnapore, Bankura and Jangal Mahal as chuars. They depended for their existence on the wealth of the forests and cultivated with primitive methods. The collector of Midnapore in a letter to the Board of Revenue wrote: Those who were enjoying the right to this land since the antiquities, when they saw that their land was being taken away from them without any rhyme or reason, or thqt an excessive amount of revenue was sought to be extracted from them, then they took to arms in defence of their rights. This was no matte;'of su;Prise (Letter written on 25 May 1798).

During the Mughal period, law and order was maintained in the villages with the help of Paiks. When they were dismissed from service en masse, they too joined the chuar revolt.

In 1798, nearly 1500 rebels led by Durjan Singh, established their rule in 30 villages of Raipur Pargana. They attacked the headquarters of the Government's seat of power in this area and after a day long bloody battle, they were defeated. But in Salbani, the rebels were victorious and destroyed the army barracks. They burnt all Zemindary documents. A few Zemindars also joined the ranks of the rebels. Ultimately, by means of bloody repression and the usual policy of divide and rule, British were able to crush the Chuar Rebellion.