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NDTV
5 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
All You Need To Know About Revolt Of 1857: How Indians Challenged The British
When the British East India Company refused to recognise Rani Lakshmi Bai's adopted son's claim to the throne, the queen of Jhansi took up arms. In 1853, following the death of her husband, Lakshmi Bai adopted a young relative as her heir. The British, enforcing the Doctrine of Lapse, refused to acknowledge the adoption and annexed Jhansi. At a time when it was unusual for women to lead in battle, Rani Lakshmi Bai rode into combat on horseback with her eight-year-old son strapped to her back. She fought alongside Tatya Tope and Nana Saheb, participating in the 1857 uprising that became known as the Sepoy Mutiny or the First War of Independence. East India Company The East India Company began as a British trading company but gradually transformed into a political and military power, controlling vast regions of India. Its rule ended in 1858, when the British Crown took direct control following the revolt. The Causes Of The Revolt One of the major political triggers of the revolt came from Lord Dalhousie's enforcement of the Doctrine of Lapse. Under this policy, the British refused to recognise adopted heirs when an Indian ruler died without a natural successor and annexed the state into British territory. Jhansi, Satara, Nagpur, and Awadh suffered directly from this rule. The annexation of Awadh hit particularly hard, leaving thousands of nobles, officials, retainers, and soldiers without livelihoods and turning a once-loyal region into a hotbed of discontent. Traditional Indian society felt alarmed by the rapid spread of Western education and reform measures. Abolishing sati, legalising widow remarriage, and raising fears of forced Christian conversions threatened established customs. The British introduced innovations like railways and the telegraph, which, while practical for them, Indians perceived as tools of cultural intrusion. Heavy land taxes and exploitative revenue collection angered peasants and zamindars. The influx of cheap British-manufactured goods undermined Indian handicrafts, especially textiles. Indian sepoys, who formed the bulk of the East India Company's army, suffered inferior treatment compared with European soldiers. The British paid them less, stationed them far from home, and forced them to serve overseas under the General Service Enlistment Act of 1856. When the British introduced greased cartridges, rumoured to contain cow and pig fat, they immediately triggered rebellion, offending both Hindu and Muslim religious sentiments. Key Leaders Of The Revolt Rani Lakshmi Bai (Jhansi): Defended her kingdom with unmatched bravery, strapped her young son to her back in battle, and later joined Tatya Tope to capture Gwalior. Tatya Tope (Kanpur and Gwalior): Expert in guerrilla tactics, coordinated regional resistance. Nana Saheb (Kanpur): Led Kanpur uprising after being denied his pension; escaped British retaliation. Begum Hazrat Mahal (Lucknow): Declared her son the Nawab of Awadh and led the revolt in Lucknow. Kunwar Singh (Bihar): Led uprisings across Bihar and central India, inspiring local resistance. Bakht Khan (Delhi): Formed a Court of soldiers in Delhi and assumed real power during the revolt. Major centres of the rebellion included Meerut, Delhi, Kanpur, Lucknow, Jhansi, Gwalior, Bareilly, and Arrah. The 1857 Revolt The revolt began in Meerut on May 10, 1857, when sepoys refused to use the greased cartridges and marched to Delhi. There, they declared Bahadur Shah II to be the emperor. Subsequent uprisings spread across northern and central India, with local leaders taking command in their regions. Despite early successes, coordination among rebels was limited, and key regions like Punjab and the south remained loyal to the British. Aftermath The British responded with superior military force and brutal reprisals, eventually suppressing the revolt by mid-1858. Lord Canning officially declared peace on July 8, 1858. The aftermath saw major political and military changes: End of East India Company Rule: India came under direct governance of the British Crown. Military Reorganisation: Indian regiments were restructured to prevent unity among soldiers. Policy Changes For Princely States: Annexation ended, allowing rulers to adopt heirs. Divide And Rule: British policies deepened divisions between communities, influencing Indian politics for decades. The 1857 revolt, though unsuccessful in overthrowing British rule, lit a flame of resistance that later grew into the Indian independence movement.
Indian Express
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Decode Politics: Why BJP government has renamed a wildlife sanctuary in MP after Raja Bhabhut Singh; who is the tribal icon?
The BJP-led Madhya Pradesh government held a special Cabinet meeting in Pachmarhi in Hoshangabad district on June 3 to honour 19th-century tribal icon Raja Bhabhut Singh, renaming the Pachmarhi Wildlife Sanctuary after him. This is not the first time the ruling party has renamed an important landmark in the state after an Adivasi icon, with deep political calculations informing its moves. Raja Bhabhut Singh emerges from the annals of 1857 as one of the most formidable, yet underrecognised, tribal leaders of the Indian independence struggle. During the 1857 revolt, he was a formidable opponent of the British, leveraging his intimate knowledge of the Satpura forests and mountain paths to lead a series of successful guerrilla attacks. He was also a close ally of freedom fighter Tatya Tope. Raja Bhabhut Singh's guerrilla warfare tactics in the Satpura ranges demonstrated sophisticated military strategy that kept the British at bay till 1860, when they deployed the Madras Infantry specifically to capture him. The British later executed him, making him a martyr whose memory has been preserved through Korku folk traditions. The BJP's embrace of Raja Bhabhut Singh represents a sophisticated electoral strategy that addresses a demographic constituency where it has been unable to establish the hold it aspires to. The BJP confronted a significant challenge in Madhya Pradesh, grappling with almost two decades of anti-incumbency and the tribal community was its weakest link. Madhya Pradesh has 47 seats reserved for the Scheduled Tribes (STs) out of 230 total Assembly constituencies. The BJP's performance in these seats has been inconsistent, dropping from 31 seats in 2013 to just 16 in 2018, while the Congress surged from 15 to 30 seats. In the 2023 Assembly elections, when the BJP returned to power, it won 27 of these constituencies. By renaming the Pachmarhi Sanctuary after Raja Bhabhut Singh, the government has tried to create an emotional connection between historical resistance and modern-day governance. This also helps the ruling party bring many communities under its fold. A senior BJP member said, 'There are special cabinets which were Maheshwar to celebrate Ahilya Bai Holkar. We will also hold similar cabinets across other regions of the state as the party seeks to build a larger coalition across caste and communities.' For the BJP, the success of this strategy could create a new model of identity-based political mobilisation that transcends traditional caste and class categories. A leader from the party's ST cell said, 'If the community begins identifying with the party, then that helps us stay relevant in the long term. In the Vindhya regions, the Kol tribe now exclusively always votes for the BJP. In the Mahakaushal region, where Congress still has some sway, there is a long-term strategy to get the tribals to become our strongest backbone.' The BJP has undertaken a systematic campaign to publicly recognise historical Adivasi figures, from renaming Habibganj station after Gond Queen Rani Kamlapati to honouring Tantya Bhil, and now Raja Bhabhut Singh. On September 18, 2021, Amit Shah announced that Chhindwara University would be named after the father-son duo Shankar Shah and Raghunath Shah, the last rulers during Gond rule. Shah had also announced the construction of a museum for Rs 5 crore and the installation of a statue of the father-son duo for Rs 50 lakh. In 2021, then Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced that Patalpani railway station in Indore would be renamed after Tantya Bhil, another tribal leader who took part in the 1857 war. The CM also announced the setting up of a memorial of Bhima Nayak in Barwani. Nayak headed the struggle of the Bhils against the Britishers in Khandesh from 1818 to 1850. Bhopal's Habibganj station has been renamed after Rani Kamlapati, the seventh wife of Gond ruler Nizam Shah who ruled from the Ginnor fort, which is in present-day Sehore district.
