Remembering the fallen : Sayed Husain

Sayed Husain, blown to death with a canon, October 15, 1857.

Remembering the fallen - Indians killed during the rebellion

Asghari Begum - she died because of the practice generally employed by the British during the skirmishes where whole villages were burned down! She was also the mother of a rebel leader so she needed extra punishment.

Bhaktawari, born in 1819 in Bakhara was hanged on the gallow.

I have shown you the pictures of the gallow where four people at a time were hanged. It is a very troubling picture and unfortunately the scene has been repeated often. I will not show it again but the smoke that you see in the picture is coming from the canons used blow up the sepoys.

Tags: sepoy mutiny, indian uprising, 1857 mutiny india, asghari begum, bakhtawari, martyrs 1857 mutiny, first indian rebellion

Metcalfe takes over Zinat Mahal’s Lal Kuan haveli - Rang mahal

Metcalfe, who has tasted blood and has gone mad, is now residing in the Zinat Mahal’s old quarters, called Rang Mahal.

It seems that he is just killing any able bodied Indian he sees. It is not uncommon to hear that he went on a “shooting spree”!

We have to regroup and take the country back!

British have “Prize Agents” who are systematically looting Delhi

The job of the “Prize Agent” is to dig for treasures in the city.

Typical way to gather money is to look for a fat hindoo who is a man of property, shut him up in a dark cellar and fire pistol on his head and hit him repeatedly on his head, till he divulges where he has kept his money and then send British officer to loot the money.

It is happening all around Delhi as we speak.

Here is another account of it by a British officer:

One morning in the beginning of October, attended by the mason, and
carrying the necessary implements, we were taken to the house in
question. This was a large building with a courtyard in the centre, the
rooms of which showed the remains of luxury and wealth, but, as usual,
had been despoiled by the plunderers of our army. Every article was
scattered about in dire confusion; there were piles of clothing and
bedding; rich and ornamental stuffs were torn to pieces, and the
household furniture, broken up, was strewn about the courtyard. Our
guide took us to a small room, about 80 feet square–in fact, it was the
closet of the establishment–the walls of which were whitewashed, the
floor being covered with a hard cement. Here, we were told, the treasure
was concealed under the flooring of the room, and we lost no time in
commencing operations, the mason assisting us. Picking through the
cement, we came on a large flagstone, which we lifted out of the cavity.
Then we dug a hole about 3 feet square, and the same depth in the loose
earth, disclosing the mouth of a large earthenware _gharra_, or jar.
Loosening the soil all around, we attempted to raise the jar out of the
ground, but all our efforts were unavailing–its great weight preventing
us from lifting it one inch out of the bed. Then, trembling with
excitement, for we felt sure that a rich display would greet our eyes,
we began slowly to remove each article from the _gharra_, and place it
on the floor of the room. A heavy bag lying at the mouth of the jar
was first taken out, and on opening it, and afterwards counting its
contents, we found that it contained 700 native gold mohurs, worth
nearly L1,200. Then came dozens of gold bangles, or anklets, of pure
metal, such as those worn by dancing-girls. We were fairly bewildered at
the sight, our hands trembling and our eyes ablaze with excitement, for
such an amount of pure gold as that already discovered we had never seen
before. But the treasure was not yet half exhausted. The jar seemed a
perfect mine of wealth–gold chains, plain and of filigree workmanship,
each worth from L10 to L30; ornaments of the same metal of every sort
of design, and executed in a style for which the Delhi jewelers are
celebrated all over India. Then came small silver caskets filled with
pearls, together to the number of more than 200, each worth from L3 to
L4, pierced for stringing. Others, containing small diamonds, rubies,
and emeralds, and the greatest prize of all–reclining in a casket by
itself–a large diamond, which was sold afterwards by the prize agents
for L1,000. There were many other articles of value besides those I have
mentioned–gold rings and tiaras inlaid with precious stones, nose-rings
of the kind worn by women through the nostrils, earrings, bracelets, and
necklaces of small pearls without number.

Remembering the fallen ones : Angadu Singh and Arjun Singh

Time to remember the sacrifice of Sepoys. Angadu Singh, born in Badlapur, was hanged by the british from a tree near Jugiyapur village.

We lost Arjun Singh on July 14, 1957. He was a brave man and died to protect us.

Execution of sepoys at Peshawar

Take a deep breath before you see this picture.

Click for a larger view if you dare.

Punishment shooting and simultaneous hanging of 16 sepoys at at a time!

Your sacrifice will not be forgotten our Peshawar brothers!

Annihilation of 51st BNI at Peshawar

In Peshawar, a Muslim gentleman of a high family, named Saiyed Ameer, was preaching holy war against the Firinghis and raising spirits on the border of the Khyber Pass.

Some of Saiyed Ameer’s letters and messages reached the disbanded Peshawar troops and was passed around the regiment. The British came to know about this and decided to carry out a search of their persons in the lines for hidden weapons etc. The newly raised Afreedi regiments, who were carrying out the search , humiliated the sepoys by constantly mocking and jeering at them.

The disarmed troops of 27th BNI did not object, but 51st BNI, exasperated by the taunts of the Afreedi regiments, rushed upon the piled arms of the 18th Punjab infantry and “attempted resistance”.

The unarmed sepoys of 51st ran out of their lines in panic and instead of trying to stop them, Brigadier Cotton ordered shooting which was followed up with utmost severity.

On the Brigadier’s orders, the British soldiers opened a fusillade “on this hapless lot in which even the civilian officers joined in.” Every nook and corner was searched for the fugitives. Standing crops were beat up , ravines probed as if for pheasants and hares.”

The firing continued for long. Seven hundred eighty five out of eight hundred and seventy one captured mutineers were executed and they “lay dead in three deep trenches.” No one raised his voice against this unprovoked massacre.

Colin Campbell is coming

The newly appointed Commander-in-Chief, Sir Colin Campbell arrived in Calcutta today.

Kaliyan da Khuh: the Ajnala well : The story of 282 Sepoys

On the night of July 30, 1857, a band of 500 sepoy patriots in Punjab, were camping on the banks of the Ravi, six miles from Ajnala.

The British spotted and surrounded them. Cooper ordered the killing of 150 soldiers. While receding, several patriots were overpowered by the unsparing currents of the Ravi.

The remaining, about 282, were sent to Ajnala jail. Several were brought out in groups of 10 and shot down on the streets. Of those in jail, 45 died of suffocation and thirst.

The bodies of the 100+ sepoys, instead of being cremated, were bundled up and thrown into a nearby well which was covered with earth, by Cooper’s orders.

This well is called Kaliyan da Khuh and hopefully, after we win the war, we will erect a memorial for these brave sepoys.

Continued ghastly retribution

The trial and condemnation, following the Bibighar massacre had already taken place. And on 25th July 1857 Neill issued a brigade order.

According to this order, all prisoners suspected of being guilty of having taken part in the murder of European women and children, were to be taken into Bibighur by Major Bruce’s mehtar police, and there made to crouch down and with their mouth, lick a square foot of ground before being taken to the gallows and hanged.

The procedure: The dried blood on the floor was first moistened with water and then the prisoners were brought in and struck with lashes by the warder till the wretches fell down on their knees and began licking the blood on the floor. Neill justified his action in the following words “My object was to inflict a fearful punishment for a revolting, cowardly , and barbarous deed, and to strike terror into the rebels.”

A part of a letter from Havelock re. retaliation for Bibighar

After Havelock took over Cawnpore (Kanpur), the retribution were swift.

The picture of the makeshift gallow is below the Havelack letter.

You can see the makeshift gallow and the part of the Bibighar.

British Retaliation : Burning of the villages

After the sepoys left from Mhow, the British let loose a wave of horror.

Captain Hungerford, who was in charge of a mixed battery of artillery took charge and arrogated to himself the role of the Agent to the Governor General and adopted the policy of slaughter and mayhem. He proclaimed martial law and began destroying all the villages surrounding Mhow. Village after village was set on fire and innocent peasants were butchered mercilessly. Gallows were erected outside the fort gate and scores of innocent people along with the guilty, were hanged.

The Europeans have now declared that “Mercy is a word we have scratched out of our memories; in fact mercy to them is death to us”.

Ajnalla Well where 300 of us are buried

After the 26th BNI fled in panic, following the mysterious death of Major Spencer, they headed straight for the banks of the river Ravi. They were chased by Frederick Cooper, the Deputy Commissioner of Amritsar, who with the help of local police and Sikhs shot , killed and hanged the fugitives, about 300 in number, in a most horrendous manner. The sweepers were then made to throw the dead and dying into a well in the village of Ajnalla.

Cooper was heard to say “There is a well at Cawnpore but there is also one at Ajnalla”