The history of Indian Struggle starts with the First War of Independence which was the first general uprising against British colonialism. The Revolt of 1857 holds a very significant place in Modern Indian History and initiated a period of heightened Indian nationalism steering toward its independence. During that time a very wide section of the Indian society was infuriated by the British's interfering rule on them which resulted in several revolts at a number of places all over India. Of the many freedom fighters who made a mark in the Freedom Struggle was Mangal Pandey who was widely regarded as the harbinger of the 1857 rebellion.
Early Life
Mangal Pandey was born in the village of Nagwa in the Ballia district of Ceded and Conquered Provinces Uttar Pradesh in 1827 to a Hindu Brahmin family. However, there is some dispute over his exact place of birth which claims that he was born in the Surhurpur village of Akbarpur tehsil of Faizabad district to a Bhumihar Brahmin family of Divakar Pandey.
The East India Company of Britain had come to India as traders but gradually their intentions changed and they started to hire armies and annexed smaller states. The East India Company employed sepoys(soldiers) mostly from the region of Awadh. It supplied a large number of soldiers to the Company's army for war. According to historians, there were about 75,000 soldiers from Awadh and had a representative in the army from every agricultural family of the region.
Mangal Pandey entered into the Bengal Army in 1849 when he was twenty-two years of age and by March 1857 he became a sepoy in the 5th Company of the 34th Bengal Native Infantry (BNI) of East India Company in March 1857. He had a tall, lean body for which he was selected into the army as most people with this stature were selected to become a part of the Bengal Army and they were supposed to wear tunics, pants, and red-colored tight jackets in the European style.
The Mutiny
In 1857 a new type of cartridge was introduced in the Enfield Pistol -53 rifle by the Britishers. This was also introduced in the Bengal Army which was believed to be smeared with animal grease, that of cow or pig fat. The cartridges had to be bitten to remove the cover which was objectionable by the sepoys as Hindus worship cows and in Muslims, pigs are considered unclean animals and are prohibited to consume. The Indian sepoys believed that the British did it knowingly with malicious intent to hurt their religious sentiments and defile their religion.
To ease the matter and to reduce the discontent allowed the sepoys to use their own grease made out of clarified butter. However, Meerut-based Adjutant General of the Army, Colonel C. Chester shot down the proposal as he felt it would be equivalent to an admission of guilt which could worsen the matter. He falsely claimed to the Indian sepoys that mutton fats had been used as grease in cartridges which was untrue as the sepoys did not have to uncover cartridges. The government reversed the earlier orders of using clarified butter-ghee as grease for the cartridges.
When the sepoys were handed cartridges for ammunition drill, they refused to take them even after Colonel Mitchell tried to convince them as they were 200 men against 800 sepoys. Soon the news reached Barrackpore and to the Governor General of Calcutta. The adjutant of the 34th Bengal Infantry, Lieutenant Baugh on 29 March 1857 was informed by Sergeant Major James Thornton Hewson about the infuriated sepoys of his regiment who were making a chaos over greased cartridges. They were stationed at Barrackpore at that time. One of the sepoys, Mangal Pandey, was pacing outside the regiment's guard room and instructing fellow soldiers to shoot at the first European that they saw. They had loaded muskets and assumably were intoxicated by the narcotic bhang.
Hewson was the first person to get shot by Mangal Pandey who ran for shelter after shooting him. When Baugh came rushing to him by riding on his horse, Mangal Pandey shot the horse and Baugh jumped off the animal and rushed towards him with a sword. Mangal Pandey also took out his sword and they fought ferociously until Pandey injured him. However, a native soldier, Shaikh Paltu intervened and prevented Mangal Pandey from killing the Adjutant and the Sergeant Major.
Other sepoys threatened Shaikh Paltu to release Pandey whom he had been trying to hold back. However, he continued to hold Mangal Pandey until the Sergeant Major and Baugh got up. The soldiers of Barrackpore watched as the first-ever mutiny played in front of their eyes. The Commanding Officer of the 34th Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Wheeler came into the scene and ordered the sepoys to shoot Mangal Pandey but they did not budge on his orders.
Major General Hearsey was informed about the incident and he came into the scene to order the Jemadar of the troops to arrest Mangal Pandey to which he refused along with others except Shaikh Paltu. Seeing Paltu approaching him, Mangal Pandey pulled the trigger of his musket to shoot himself and wounded himself in the incident. He was taken into custody afterwards along with the Jemadar, Ishwari Prasad for defiance to the British.
Trial And Execution
Mangal Pandey was held on 6 April 1857 and was found guilty of two charges- having gone to the parade armed with musket and sword and inciting his fellow soldiers of his regiment to attack the lawful authorities and secondly badly injuring by acting violence on his superior officers. He was sentenced to hang to death as the punishment for his offense. He was asked whether he was under any influence of any substances to which he refused to have any influence nor whether any person played any part in encouraging him in his actions.
He was awarded a death sentence along with Ishwari Prasad after three-quarter guards testified that Ishwari stopped them from arresting Mangal Pandey. Mangal Pandey was hanged on 8th April 1857 though his execution was scheduled on 18 April. He was executed 10 days prior to his scheduled execution date as the British feared it would result in a large-scale revolt. Ishwari Prasad was sentenced to be hanged on 21 April 1857 who regretted his decision to go against the British and urged the sepoys present over there to listen and obey their officers in the future.
Aftermath
The seven companies out of ten were disbanded that were stationed at Barrackpore and the whole regiment was dismissed on 6th May with disgrace as a collective punishment for failing to perform their duty in restraining a mutinous soldier and their officer. Shaikh Paltu was promoted to the rank of havildar and decorated with the Indian Order of Merit for his loyalty to the British authorities; he was murdered shortly in an isolated island in Barrackpore. After the incident, the British military authorities were convinced that the men of the regiment were unreliable and could act against them someday if incited. During the rebellions that followed, the term 'Pandey' or 'Pandee' came to be used as a derogatory term used by the Britishers while addressing to soldiers or civilians, referring to mutinous sepoy.
The Delhi Gazette stated that Mangal Pandey had refused to make any disclosures and silently accepted his death without showing any remorse or regret and the occasion had a disheartening effect upon the sepoy regiments. Regarding the cartridges it had been found out that Colonel S. Wheeler was a zealous Christian preacher and the wife of Captain William Halliday gave out a Bible printed in Hindi and Urdu to the sepoys that raised their suspicion on the Britishers trying to convert them to Christianity.
A month-long inquiry was ordered after an investigation that recommended disbanding the 19th Bengal Native Infantry. They were allowed to retain uniforms and allowances to return to their homes provided by the government. On the other hand, Colonel Mitchell and Colonel Wheeler were declared unsuitable to head or take charge of any new regiments.
An Act was passed on August 2, 1858, which transferred all the powers of the East India Company to the Crown, making Queen Victoria the Sovereign of British India. The Queen's Proclamation unveiled a new policy that mandated non-intervention in matters of religious beliefs in India and also a new policy of perpetual support for the native Prince.
Significance and Impact of The Revolt of 1857
Undoubtedly the revolt by Mangal Pandey was a big event in the Freedom Struggle but it had very bleak chances of success and failed miserably at the hands of British authority. There was less to no unity in the sepoys and they acted as mere spectators rather than supporters of Mangal Pandey's intentions. But, even then, the sepoy mutiny was the first sign that the Indians were not happy with the British rule and wanted to end their authority over India. The specific event successfully planted the seeds of nationalism in fellow Indians even after they were suppressed by the British authorities numerous times.
The punishment of Mangal Pandey is widely regarded as the opening scene of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. During the following months, many such revolts broke out in the Indian subcontinent of which Mangal Pandey's act of bravery is one of the leading factors. He proved to be an influential figure for later nationalist leaders who considered his actions as one of the earliest manifestations of the Indian Freedom Struggle and portrayed him as the mastermind behind the conspiracy of revolting against British power.
Mangal Pandey's actions had a far-reaching impact on everyone, especially the Britishers who were shocked to experience the rebellious attitude of Indians whom they believed to be inferior and powerless. They realized the need to adapt to new strategies to continue their rule for the long term. Mangal Pandey was gone but his spirit spread like wildfire throughout the Bengal Presidency and other parts of the country, etching forever his sacrifice to one's religious rights and the nation's independence.
Note for UPSC Aspirants: For UPSC aspirants interested in exploring further, here are some keywords to guide your research: 1857 Revolt, Indian Independence Movement, Batukeshwar Dutt, Chandra Shekhar Azad, Bal Gangadhar Tilak.
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