Which of the following statements are correct?

(A) Moneylenders were called ‘dikus’.

(B) Zamindars hired the Santhals to reclaim land.

(C) Santhals were merchants.

(D) Land of the Santhals was demarcated as ‘Damin-i-koh’.

(E) Santhals charged heavy land revenue from dikus moneylenders.

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

The correct answer is (A), (B) and (D) only.

Let us analyze each statement step-by-step to understand why they are correct or incorrect:

Statement (A) is correct:
In the context of the Santhal region and tribal history in colonial India, outsiders such as moneylenders, traders, and British officials were referred to as 'dikus'. Moneylenders, in particular, were a prominent group of dikus who exploited the tribals by charging exorbitant interest rates.

Statement (B) is correct:
During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, British officials and local Zamindars hired and encouraged the Santhals to clear the forests of the Rajmahal Hills and reclaim the land for settled agriculture, as the local Paharias resisted clearing the forests.

Statement (C) is incorrect:
Santhals were not merchants. They were primarily an agricultural tribal community who cleared forests, reclaimed land, and practiced settled cultivation.

Statement (D) is correct:
By 1832, a large area of land at the foothills of the Rajmahal Hills was demarcated as 'Damin-i-koh' and declared to be the land of the Santhals, where they were expected to live and practice settled agriculture.

Statement (E) is incorrect:
Santhals did not charge land revenue from dikus. On the contrary, it was the British colonial state that levied heavy land revenue on the Santhals, and the diku moneylenders charged high interest rates from the Santhals when they defaulted, which eventually led to the Santhal Rebellion (1855-56).

Therefore, statements (A), (B), and (D) are correct, making (A), (B) and (D) only the correct option.