Due to the agrarian unrest caused by oppressive practices of the zamindars in eastern Bengal, such an agrarian league was formed.
The zamindars resorted to enhanced rents beyond legal limits and prevented the tenants from acquiring occupancy rights under Act X of 1859. [Note: Occupancy rights ensure security of tenure to all tenants].
The Pabna agrarian league organised a rent strike—the ryots refused to pay the enhanced rents, challenging the zamindars in the courts. Funds were raised by ryots to fight the court cases. The struggles spread throughout Patna and to other districts of East Bengal.
The main form of struggle was that of legal resistance; there was very little violence.
A number of young intellectuals supported the movement such as Bankim Chandra Chaterjee, R.C Dutt and the Indian Association under Surendranath Banerjee.
In 1885, the Bengal Tenancy Act was passed to protect the tenants from the oppression of zamindars.
