Rangpur

Rangpur lies in the fertile plains of northern Bengal, among rivers descending from the Himalayan foothills. The countryside became the scene of a major peasant rising in the early years of East India Company rule. Known as the Rangpur dhing, it brought cultivators together against the demands of revenue collectors and spread across neighbouring districts.

In 1783 farmers resisted the exactions of Debi Singh, the revenue contractor for Rangpur and Dinajpur. They chose Nuruddin as their leader, proclaimed him nawab and stopped paying revenue to the contractor. Instead, they raised contributions to support the revolt and drove out or attacked his agents. The Company sent troops to suppress the movement; Nuruddin was wounded and captured during the fighting. The rebellion exposed the violence surrounding revenue collection in northern Bengal.