If one wants to locate Cooch Behar in the Indian map, it would not be so easy. A tiny former Princely State on the border of Bangladesh, West Bengal and Assam was better known as Kamarupa. According to Francoise Pommaret, a French research fellow, “Kamarupa, or Kamrup, on the south-eastern border of Bhutan, was a famous and prosperous kingdom since a long time and, in fact, included what would become Cooch Behar in the 16th century.” Cooch Behar is globally famed for her beautiful queens and Princesses even today. The only Princess of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III of Baroda, Indira Raje(1892-1968), rebelled to marry her love-bird, the Maharaja of Cooch Behar, Jitendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur(1886-1922) breaking the engagement with the Maharaja of Gwalior, Madho Rao Scindia, which broke the heart of Sayajirao. The Queen-mother of Cooch Behar’s Maharaja, Sunity Devee, refers her darling son in “The Autobiography of an Indian Princess” published from London in 1921 as “Jit”. The Princess of Cooch Behar, Gayatri Devi, one of the five children of Maharaja Jit and Maharani Indira Raje, fell in love with the Maharaja of Jaipur, Mansingh II, at the age of 16 and despite initial opposition from her parents, she married to be the third wife of Maharaja ! Known as one of the ten most beautiful women in the world, Rajmata Gayatri Devi, a Swatantra Party MP, opposed the dictatorial regime of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi along with Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia of Gwalior, a Congress turned Jan Sangh via Swatantra Party MP, even by going to jail during the Emergency of 1975- ’77.
Cooch Behar merger agreement was signed by the Maharaja of Cooch Behar, Jagaddipendra Narayan(1915-1970 ), and the Advisor to the Government of India Ministry of States, V.P. Menon. Menon has a para on the State in his book “Integration of the Indian States”, first published in 1956. : “Cooch Behar had an area of 1,318 square miles and a population of about 6.5 lakhs. It was founded over three centuries ago and in 1773 entered into a subsidiary alliance with the East India Company. The present ruler(Jagaddipendra) succeeded his father in 1922 at the age of seven. The State had common boundaries with East Pakistan, West Bengal and Assam. It was decided that until conditions in the border areas became stabilized, the State should be administered as a Chief Commissioner’s province. The ruler signed the agreement on 30 August 1949 and the State was taken over by the Government of India as a Chief Commissioner’s province on 12 September 1949.But in December of the same year, Sardar, after consulting the Premier of West Bengal, decided that Cooch Behar should be merged with that province. The decision took effect from 1 January 1950 by an order issued under section 290A of the Government of India Act of 1935.”
In reply to Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, the Sardar writes on 28 December 1949 : “As regards consulting the people of Cooch Behar, I have already stated that the local Congress has approved of the merger. There is a local Hitasadhini Sabha, which is partly Muslim with its sympathies definitely with the neighbouring area of East Pakistan and partly consisting of some members of hill tribes who are looking to Sikkim, Nepal and Bhutan for the formation of an ‘Uttarakhand Pradesh’. I feel that we should do nothing to encourage this kind of organization in its mischievous tendencies.” In the same letter the Deputy Prime Minister adds, “Bengalees would never have allowed Cooch Behar to remain away from them for long. Cooch Behar itself is a Bengali area. Assam’s attention towards Cooch Behar was directed only because, on account of its geographical isolation from the main area of West Bengal, I had to entrust the supervision over its administration to the Governor of Assam. Otherwise, they have never bothered about it. In any case, organizationally, in regard to Cooch Behar, we have to be guided by what the Cooch Behar Congress rather than what the Assam Congress tells us to do.”
On the “great and historic day of Indian Independence”, the Maharaja writes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, expressing “my wholehearted co-operation and best wishes” in a communication dated 12 August 1947. The Sardar, in his reply dated 17 August 1947, expresses satisfaction about the Rulers of States joining the Dominion and specially mentions: “I should like to take this opportunity of thanking Your Highness for so readily agreeing to accede to the Indian Dominion. Along with Assam and West Bengal, your State occupies a difficult position, but I have no doubt that in concert and unity we shall be able to meet all eventualities.”Cooch Behar Kingdom was merged with India on 28 August 1949. It was initially accorded the status of “C” category state before becoming a district of West Bengal.
Nearly after half a century, the scenario has been changed. In 1998, the Greater Cooch Bihar People’s Association(GCPA), an organization striving to create a separate ‘Greater Cooch Behar ‘ state out of areas presently parts of the state of West Bengal, was formed. Under the leadership of Bangshi Badan Burman, who was an activist of the leftist Students Federation of India, the ‘Greater Cooch Behar’ movement was launched in 2005. When the movement turned violent; killing three policemen including an additional Superintendent of Police and some agitators, Burman was arrested and spent nearly a decade in the jail. When he was imprisoned, the organization had a new set of leadership. Maharaj Anant Ray, a member from the royal family and even the Trinamool Congress and BJP leaders supported the demand for Greater Cooch Behar state. Even the United Liberation Front of Assam(ULFA), a banned terrorist organization, was also accused of supporting Greater Cooch Behar state movement by the CPI-M led West Bengal government. But now since 2011, the Trinamool Congress government headed by Mamata Banerjee is ruling over West Bengal, the Chief Minister has not only refused to support the creation of Greater Cooch Behar state but has tried to suppress the movement, allege the leaders of GCPA. A Princely State governed by a succession of 21 kings known as Koch rulers since the beginning of the 16th century, Cooch Behar merged with India in September 1949. The movement – citing a clause in the merger signed by the government of India and the last independent king, Maharaja Jagddipendra Narayan-fought for statehood for nearly two decades. The Gorakhas in Darjeeling are also agitating for Gorkhaland. All eyes are now set on West Bengal since the movements are on for the creation of two states i.e. Gorakhaland and Cooch Behar.
Next Column : When Jinnah agreed to Jodhpur’s demands
( The writer is a Socio-political Historian. E-mail : [email protected] )
