Nearly 140 unarmed peasants were killed by the British on 28 January, 1894 in Assam for protesting against the high taxation in land revenue levied by the colonial administration, when the military opened fire.
The British began to impose land taxes after the annexation of Assam in 1826.
hey decided to increase agricultural land tax reportedly by 70-80 percent in 1893.
Across Assam, peasants began protesting the move by organising Raij Mels, or peaceful peoples' conventions.
But the British perceived these gatherings as breeding grounds for sedition.
The situation started worsening when the officers refused to listen to the farmers' grievances.
There was a lathi charge, followed by an open firing which killed many of the peasants.
Many often refer to the episode as as the "Patharughat Ron" or the "Battle of Patharughat.
It was a peaceful protest and a precursor to the Civil Disobedience movement, which was later propagated by Mahatma Gandhi.
Today a “martyrs column” stands where the incident took place.