Moplah Rebellion 1921

The Moplah Rebellion or the Malabar Rebellion was an extended version of the Khilafat Movement in Kerala in 1921. The Government had declared the Congress and Khilafat meetings illegal. So, a reaction in Kerala began against the crackdown of the British in Eranad and Valluvanad taluks of Malabar.

But the Khilafat meeting incited so much communal feelings among the Muslims peasants , known as Moplahs, that it turned out to become an anti-hindu movement from July 1921 onwards. The violence began and the Moplahs attacked the police stations and took control of them. They also seized the courts, and the government treasuries. It became a communal riot when the kudiyaan or tenant Moplahs attacked their Hindu jenmis or landlords and killed many of them. Thus, the Hindu Landlords became the victims of the atrocities of the Moplahs.

The leaders of this rebellion were:

  1. Variyankunnath Kunjahammed Haji,
  2. Seethi Koya Thangal of Kumaranpathor
  3. Ali Musliyar.

For two some two months the administration remained in the hands of the rebels. The military as well as Police needed to withdraw from the burning areas. Finally the British forces suppressed the movement with greater difficulty. The situation was under control by the end of the 1921. This rebellion was so fearful that the government raised a special battalion, the Malabar Special Police (MSP).


4 Comments

  1. Kausalya Sankaran

    November 15, 2019 at 2:40 pm

    Prooving that such a terrible event, namely the Hindu genocide, happened in Malabar is very crucial to the success of the work done so far…
    सत्यमेव जयते

    • Paramveer

      May 19, 2020 at 8:58 am

      but some nations took to Muslim genocide to establish peace in the world..eg, Israel, Myanmar..even the Taliban took to Muslim genocide..Sunnis took to Shia genocide..Al-quaeda took to Genocide of Muslim children..dont know, what is “satya” here..but still.. “Satyamev Jayate”

  2. Akash M P

    May 26, 2020 at 4:14 pm

    One must read the second paragraph of this article with diligence. The Moplahs attacked police stations, law courts, govt treasuries and their landlords. The violence seems to have stemmed from socio-economic and political deprivation that the peasants have faced for years. The Khilafat Question might have aggravated the situation and given it a communal colour. The issue in itself was not communal.

    • Rahul Nair

      June 22, 2020 at 3:28 pm

      Read K Madhavan Nair’s Malabar kalaapam. He was congress kerala pradesh secretary at the time of malabar riots. He was direct witness to the atrocities committed on Hindus. Its true that the moplah’s attacked police station and court but when they faced heavy backlash from British they gradually turned their attacks on Hindus. Which resulted in mass murders, rape plunder of temples of Hindus. So don’t try to turn blind eye on this genocide.

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