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Road To Freedom

British Authority Collapses

1857 : British Authority Collapses

"All the world said the English Raj had come to end." � A sepoy while being court-martialed for desertion. �

WHEN the sepoys struck, both the civil and military authorities in Delhi were taken by surprise. Simon Fraser, the Political Agent was killed. Government offices were destroyed. The panic-stricken Englishmen decided to flee. Before leaving Delhi, however, they blew up the vast stores of ammunition to prevent it from falling into the sepoys' hands. Delhi was now in the control of the sepoys under the nominal authority of Emperor Bahadur Shah. At Kanpur the sepoys rose in rebellion and approached Nana Saheb whose claim to succession as the Peshwa had been rejected by the British. "Maharaj," said the sepoys," a kingdom awaits you if you join us, but death if you side with our enemies." Nana Saheb who was until then friendly towards the English, replied, "What have I to do with the British? I am altogether yours." Later, Nana Saheb was proclaimed Peshwa. Soon the revolt spread to Lucknow, Benares, Allahabad, Bareilly, Jhansi and Jagadishpur (in Bihar). North India and Central and Western India were in turmoil. But South India remained undisturbed and Punjab and Bengal were only marginally affected. Nearly half of the two-and-half lakh sepoys of the British army broke free from their loyalty to British masters. And these included both Hindus and Muslims. In Awadh, the nine-year-old son of Wajid Ali Shah the deposed Nawab, was placed on the throne. At Bareilly, Khan Bahadur a descendant of a former ruler of Rohilkhand was declared the Nawab. �

WAS THERE A CONSPIRACY?

British historian Malleson saw a conspiracy behind the events of 1857 with Maulavi Ahmadulla of Faizabad, Nana Saheb and the Rani of Jhansi as ring leaders. However, Malleson had no convincing proof to support his theory. The wide circulation of chapatis, preceding the outbreak of 1857, is cited as evidence of an organized conspiracy. However, witnesses at the trial of Bahadur Shah testified that nobody knew why chapatis were circulated, what it signified and where the practice had originated. The sepoys were definitely a discontented lot. They were perturbed about the issue of greased cartridges. They might have talked of rising in revolt. But there is no evidence to suggest that a day had been fixed for the revolt or that regiments in different parts of the country acted according to a plan. Was the great revolt then spontaneous? What started as a mutiny in Meerut soon snowballed into the great revolt as former rulers, zamindars, talukdars, small and big farmers and anybody who had some grievance or the other against the British jumped into the fray. There was a saying that if all Indians were to sneeze at the same moment, the British would be blown away. Something similar happened in 1857. In the British army there were about two and half lakh sepoys and about forty-five thousand Englishmen including some 6,000 officers. A lakh of sepoys 'sneezed' and British control collapsed � at least for a while and in some places. The events of 1857 showed how fragile the British armour was.

At Jhansi, Rani Lakshmibai whose kingdom had been annexed by the British under the Doctrine of Lapse, assumed command. At Jagadishpur Kunwar Singh, a 70�year�old veteran led the sepoys. Petty rajas, chieftains, talukdars, zamindars and anybody who had lost a piece of land or larger territory seized the opportunity that presented itself to regain their titles. Poor farmers who had lost their mortgaged land to moneylenders burnt the documents and repossessed their land. Looting and arson continued unabated. The predatory tribes for whom robbery was a hereditary vocation had a field day. While many Europeans were slain, many more were given shelter and were helped to reach places of safety. At some places, notably in Kanpur and Lucknow, the English took shelter in fortified buildings which soon came under attack by the sepoys. The Englishmen held on grimly and waited for help to arrive. Once the British had got over the initial shock they began to move their troops and re-group. Their first priority was to recapture Delhi for they knew that whoever controlled Delhi, ruled India.

A Tale of Chivalry

Lal Hanumant Singh of Dharupur in Awadh gave shelter to Captain Barrow, Deputy Commissioner of Salone, in his fort. A fortnight later Hanumant Singh and five hundred of his men escorted the captain to Allahabad. While taking leave of the gallant Rajput, Captain Barrow expressed a hope that the Raja would help the government in suppressing the revolt. Lal Hanumant Singh replied : "Sahib, your countrymen came into this country and drove out our king. At one blow you took from me lands which from time immemorial had been in my family. Suddenly misfortune fell upon you. The people of the land rose against you. You came to me whom you had despoiled. I have saved you. But now�now I march at the head of my men to Lakhnao to try and drive you from the country."
� From the Annals of the Indian Rebellion

European Rebels

Eyewitness reports indicate that the cavalry officer who was directing the artillery fire against the British in Awadh near the Kukrail river was a European. According to a publication, "The Seige of Delhi by an Officer Who Served There" published in Edinburgh in 1861, a European deserter accompanied the sepoys from Meerut to Delhi, and fought and died in the Battle of Budli-ki-Sarai. The second in command, of the rebel forces in Delhi, was a European officer who had come to Delhi with the Bareilly Brigade. On the day Delhi fell, this man, a sergeant-major, was seen riding from post to post, trying to rally the dejected sepoys and bringing up fresh troops. According to Forbes-Mitchele, the officer later fled to Nepal along with his sepoys. When many of the sepoys returned to their homes he lamented that he had neither home nor country to return to. Sadly, none of the contemporary reports mentions the names of these Europeans who threw in their lot with the Indians.

Road To Freedom

British Authority Collapses

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