By the time the island came under British rule, it had a mixed population of Bengalis, both Muslim and Hindu, many of whom had arrived from Dhaka, as well as the Buddhist Arakanese. The working population consisted of farmers, fishermen, pirates and robbers. The British initially struggled in administrating the island as its inhabitants used to frequently make complaints. They eventually appointed a Commissioner but he too would complain of the difficulties in managing the island with constant petitions of the Taluqdars. Abu Torab, a descendant of Chand Khan who was the son-in-law of Raja Dilal, led Bengal's first anti-British peasant rebellion against Captain Nollekins in 1767. As a result of troublesome administration, the island was subsequently given direct attention to the District Collector in 1785. In 1822, the island joined the District of Noakhali. In 1912, many Muslim men from Sandwip travelled to the Balkan Peninsula to fight alongside the Ottoman Empire during the Balkan Wars. Keshab Ghosh, a President of the Indian National Congress, led the Violation of Law movement in Sandwip in 1930.