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

THE INTERLUDE AND THE PUNJAB
English boldly. Not being able to hold out before this
attack, the English army as well as the loyal Sikhs took
to their heels !
Proud of victory that they had just won against the
combined forces of the English and the Sikhs, the Sepoys
entered the town of Ludhiana about midday. In the city,
there was a certain Moulvie who always used to preach
to the people to break away from English slavery and
establish Swaraj. On account of the Moulvie’s lectures,
this town had become a powerful centre of the Revolu-
tionary party in the Panjab. When the sign came that
the time had come to deal the last blows at the chains
of slavery, the whole town rose. The Government stores
were looted and burnt. Churches, the houses of English-
men, the presses of English newspapers, all were burnt.
There was rivalry among the citizens to accompany the
Sepoys and show them the stations of Englishmen and
especially the houses of “ native dogs ” who used to wag
their tails under the protection of the Englishmen ! Pri-
sons were broken. Whatever belonged to the Government
and whatever was English was burnt down. That which
could not be burnt down was razed to the ground. In
this manner, Ludhiana also began to glow with the Revo-
lutionary fire.
But it was desirable for the Revolutionaries to go to
Delhi. It would have been a great strategic and moral
advantage if the Sepoys could have held Ludhiana fort,
as it was the key to the Panjab ; and if Ludhiana had
also been a centre of the Revolution, like Delhi, it would
have been a terrible shock to the English power. This
was, no doubt, known to the Sepoys. But it was im-
possible for them to remain in Ludhiana under the cir-
cumstances. They were all mere Sepoys, without a leader.
They had no ammunition. If, at such a juncture, there
had been at Ludhiana a Nana Sahib, or a Khan Bahadur
Khan, or a Moulvie Ahmad Shah, they would never have
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