१८५७ का स्वातन्त्र्य समर (वीर विनायक दामोदर सावरकर - अंग्रेजों द्वारा छपने से पूर्व प्रतिबन्धित महाग्रन्थ)

SHAHID MANGAL PANDAY
regiment being stationed at Barrackpore, Vizier Ali
Nakkhi Khan who stayed near Calcutta had bound the
whole regiment by oaths in favour of the Revolution.
Some companies of this regiment had been sent to the men
of the 19th, and these had brought over the whole of that
regiment to the national cause. The English had no notion
of this and decided to force the cartridges first on the
19th regiment as an experiment. But the regiment openly
refused to accept them and made plain their determina-
tion even to draw their swords, if necessary. Seeing this,
the English, in pursuance of their policy, began to put
down the "natives." But the English officers soon saw
that they were not the "natives" of past days. The
clashing of swords soon convinced them of that. But they
had quietly to pocket this insult, because, in the whole
province, they had no white troops with which to overawe
the Sepoys. To remove this difficulty, an English regi-
ment was ordered from Burma to Calcutta in the begin-
ning of March. The order went forth that the 19th regi-
ment was to be disarmed and disbanded. It was decided
to execute this order at Barrackpore !
But the Barrackpore regiment was not going to see quiet-
ly the spectacle of its countrymen being dishonoured. The
sword of Mangal Panday positively refused to rest in its
scabbard. The 34th regiment wanted to leave the Com-
pany's service quite as much as the 19th. Hence all
patriots thought it was best that the Company itself dis-
banded the 19th. The wiser leaders counselled patience
for one month until all were consulted. And letters had
already been sent from Barrackpore to various regiments
to fix the signal day. But Mangal Panday's sword would
not wait !
Mangal Panday was a Brahmin by birth. He took
up the duties of a Kshatriya and was a valiant young
soldier. Into the heart of this young and brilliant
Brahmin who loved his religion more than his life, and
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