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

ROHILKHAND
any orders whatsoever in the land, to give further orders
was to inflame the quarrel. To lecture now about good
or bad cartridges was an unpardonable digression !
For the people of Rohilkhand had now received an
urgent and pressing invitation from the Swadeshi throne
of Delhi to hold aloft the flag of Indian freedom. Was
this invitation one that could be lightly treated ?
“ From the commander of the army at Delhi to the com-
mander of the army at Bareilly, hearty embraces. Brothers,
there is a fight with the English proceeding at Delhi. By
the grace of God, even the first defeat that they have
received at our hands has demoralised them more than ten
defeats would have done them at other times. Innumer-
able Swadeshi heroes are coming to Delhi. At such a
time, if you are dining there, come here to wash your
hands. The Padishah of Shahs and the Home Splendour,
our Emperor of Delhi, will give you a great welcome and
fitly reward your services. Our ears are anxious for the
sound of your cannon and our eyes are thirsting to see
you. Come ! Come at once ! For, Brethren, how will
the rose-tree flower without spring ? How will a child
live without milk ? ”
Was this an invitation to be rejected ? While the invita-
tion was on its way, Khan Bahadur Khan, the descendant
of Hafiz Rahmat, the last independent Rohilla chief, was
weaving the nets of the secret society. Khan Bahadur
Khan used to get two pensions from the English, one as
the descendant of Hafiz Rahmat, and the other as a judi-
cial officer under the English. He was known throughout
the province as a great favourite of the English. The
Government also had great confidence in him. And he
was the life and centre of all the secret societies of Bareilly!
But, though this invitation asked the people of Bareilly
to come at once, they decided to wait till the 31st of May,
in accordance with the plans originally arranged. All the
169

THE ERUPTION
Sepoys were doing their duties without, in the least, dis-
obeying the English officers. A few days before, a hundred
of the revolted Meerut Sepoys came and lived secretly in
the " lines " themselves, and stirred up the revolutionary
spirit by the narrative of the events at Meerut, and then
left. Still, the Sepoys kept the peace outwardly. The
Subahdars of the regiments even went so far as to request
the Europeans to bring their families ! But before this
request was fulfilled, a rumour arose on the 29th of May
that the Sepoys had taken oath, at the time of the morning
bath in the river, that they would massacre the English
at two o'clock ! Immediately the English got ready the
loyal cavalry regiment. They, also, came together and
formed without murmur. But the whole day passed and
the Sepoys never rose. The English retired at night, say-
ing that though the rumour was false, it at least incident-
ally proved that the cavalry could be relied upon. Just
then, sure and certain information came that the cavalry
had sworn, long before, never to lift their swords against
their comrades or help the English ! The English now
could not make up their minds what to believe. Not
only the 29th, but also the 30th passed away
without any incident. And, on the latter day, the
conduct of the Sepoys was so good—if anything,
it was more loyal than ever—that the civil and
military authorities made up their minds that the
danger was surely past and that there was no
longer any reason for fear !
The 31st of May dawned. Early in the morning, the house
of Captain Brownlow was set on fire. But the English
had not much reason to be particularly fearful of any-
thing serious. The day was Sunday. The Sunday mili-
tary parade passed off smoothly, as well as the reports
of native officers. The English officers even observed that
the Sepoys were more than usually quiet that day. The
English prayed in their churches. There was not the least
sign of trouble anywhere.
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ROHILKHAND
The clock struck eleven. A gun was fired among the
Sepoy lines. Hardly had the echo died out, when a noise
of clanging rifles and shrill shouting rent the sky ! The
rising at Bareilly was so carefully planned, that it was
arranged beforehand who was to kill which Englishman.
As soon as it was eleven, the 68th regiment at-
tacked the Englishmen near their lines. Small detach-
ments quickly went to the various bungalows, and the rest
attended to the straggling Englishmen, to go to their
houses and burn them. On hearing this noise and tumult,
the terror-stricken Englishmen ran towards the cavalry
lines. All the civil and military officers had decided to
come together there for refuge. As soon as they arrived
there, they ordered the cavalry regiment to march on
the Revolutionaries. But the Indian head of that regiment
was also a Revolutionary. Mahomed Shafi galloped to-
wards the Revolutionaries and ordered the horsemen to
follow him. They followed him, shouting, “ Die for reli-
gion, come, the green flag is calling you ! ” Still the
English tried to collect together a few that remained, and
attempted to come near the parade ground, but finding
it impossible to stand before the terrible onslaught of the
Revolutionaries, they all turned their backs and began
flying towards Naini Tal. Brigadier Sibbald was killed
in the first affray. Captain Kirby, Lieutenant Fraser,
Sergeant Walton, Colonel Troup, Captain Robertson—
all the Englishmen that fell into the hands of the
Revolutionaries were killed. Only thirty-two officers
escaped the massacre and safely reached Naini Tal. In
this way, the English power at Bareilly was made to end
in six hours !
When the English flag was hauled down and the flag of
freedom began to fly at Bareilly, the Subahdar of the
Sepoy artillery, Bakht Khan, accepted the commander-
ship of all the Sepoy troops. We will hereafter have occa-
sion to refer to him at the time of the siege of Delhi. He
delivered an enthusiastic oration to all the Sepoys as to
171

THE ERUPTION
their conduct after acquiring freedom and their duties in
sustaining the newly established Swaraj.¹ And now, this
Swadeshi brigadier went through the town in the carriage
of the English brigadier. Behind him followed the new
officers seated in the carriages of their English predeces-
sors. Khan Bahadur Khan was accepted by acclamation
as the ruler of Rohilkhand in the capacity of Subahdar
of the Emperor. After all the houses of the English at
Bareilly had been burnt down and looted, Khan Bahadur
Khan ordered the imprisoned Englishmen to be brought
before him. He had acted as judge under the English
administration and knew English justice thoroughly. So,
he appointed a court for the trial of the English crimi-
nals. Among them were the Doctor, the son-in-law of the
Lieutenant-Governor of the North-Western provinces, the
principal of the Government college at Bareilly, and the
District Judge of Bareilly. Only the day before, loyal
Khan Bahadur Khan had been sitting beside them as a
friend. Today, one was on the throne and the others in
the prisoner’s dock ! The jury took their oaths as usual,
and took their seats on the bench. The prisoners were
charged with various crimes involving treason and were
all sentenced to be hanged, and the six Englishmen were
forthwith executed. As the Commissioner of Rohilkhand
had escaped with his life, Khan Bahadur Khan issued a
proclamation that the Feringhi commissioner had ab-
sconded, and a reward of one thousand rupees was offered
to anyone who would bring him, dead or alive. After
having thus firmly cemented his authority with English
blood, Khan Bahadur Khan sent word to Delhi that
Rohilkhand had become free. The Revolution began that
morning at eleven, and, before sunset, the messenger an-
nouncing Rohilkhand’s freedom set out for Delhi !
The announcement that the whole of Rohilkhand had
become free was not a vain boast. While the artillery at

1. Charles Ball’s Indian Mutiny, Vol. I.
   172

ROHILKHAND
Bareilly was shaking the English power to pieces, English
blood had already begun to flow at Shahjahanpur. This
latter town is about forty-seven miles from Bareilly, and
was the headquarters of the 28th infantry. The news
of Meerut reached Shahjahanpur on the 15th of May.
But since the Sepoys gave no indication whatever of their
plans to the authorities, the 31st of May dawned there like
other days, in peace and happiness. It being Sunday, the
English were in church ; but before their prayer was half-
finished, the Sepoys ran towards the church ! When the
chaplain came out to see what the matter was, his hand
was cut off and the massacre began. The city magistrate,
Ricketts, fell while running. Labadoor was killed in the
church itself. Only one batch of the Sepoys had come
to the church while the other had been sent to the English
cantonment. The latter had already started killing and
burning. The assistant magistrate ran into the verandah
for life, but was killed. Doctor Bowling began to address
a few words to the Sepoys. The Sepoys, also, were listen-
ing to his words, but, unfortunately, he called them, in
the course of his speech, “seditious.” In reply to this
“charge,” a bullet came whizzing and he dropped dead.
The Revolutionaries who had gone to the church had only
swords and sticks with them ; so, now, they returned to
the lines to take their rifles. In the meanwhile, some
Englishmen, together with the women and children, with
the help of some Sikh Sepoys and the native cooks and
servants, ran to the house of a neighbouring Raja for
safety. But the Raja explained to them his helplessness
and asked them to “move on.” The fugitives then went
away towards Mahmadi. Thus, before the evening of
the 31st of May, Shahjahanpur also became free.
To the north-west of Bareilly, at a distance of about forty-
eight miles, is the district town of Moradabad. Here was
stationed the 29th infantry regiment and half a battalion
of native artillery. A fine opportunity came to test their
loyalty, after the news from Meerut had gone there. The
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THE ERUPTION
English authorities got information on the 18th of May
that some of the Meerut Sepoys had camped near Morada-
bad. The 29th regiment was ordered to make a night
attack on them. In obedience to that order, the Sepoys
attacked the Meerut Revolutionaries while they were
asleep in the woods, but, however, in some ways or other,
in spite of the determined attack under these conditions,
all but one of them succeeded in escaping. The night was
so dark ! The English officers also thought that the dark-
ness helped the Meerut Sepoys to escape, though attacked
under such odds. It has now transpired, however, that
the attack was a mere sham ; nay more, some of the
Meerut Sepoys, said to have escaped in the forest, actually
slept that night in the Sepoy lines at Moradabad ! How-
ever for the time being the English had entire confidence
in the 29th regiment on account of the loyal night-attack
which it made. And nothing in its conduct was calculated
to dispel it till the end of May.
On the morning of the 31st, however, all the Sepoys began
to form on the parade-ground. The English were about
to ask the reason of their assembling thus without permis-
sion, when the Sepoys spoke authoritatively in the follow-
ing manner :— “ The rule of the Company is at an end !
Therefore, you should leave this country immediately and
go away, or else you will be massacred ! If you cannot go
at once we will allow you two hours to prepare for de-
parture. But you must vacate Moradabad as soon as the
two hours are over.” The Moradabad police also an-
nounced that thenceforth they would not obey the orders
of the English, and the citizens supported them ! When
these three simultaneous notices were given, the English
people at Moradabad—the judge, the collector, the magis-
trate, the surgeon, and others—with their families, ran
away from Moradabad without the least attempt at
remonstrance. Any Englishmen who were found in
Moradabad after the time limit had expired were killed.
Commissioner Powell and others became Mahomedans
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ROHILKHAND
and thus saved their lives. The Sepoys took possession
of the treasury and all government property, and before
sunset the green flag began to fly on Moradabad.²
There is also another district town, called Budaun, bet-
ween Bareilly and Shahjahanpur. Mr. Edwardes was
then collector and magistrate of the district. Since the
English government came into Rohilkhand, the old
Zemindars were being frightfully oppressed with heavy
taxes and otherwise. Therefore, the big Zemindars and
their tenants were very much disaffected. In fact, the
land-tax in Budaun was so oppressive, that Edwardes
himself knew that Budaun was perfectly ready, and only
waiting for a chance to drive out the English ; and for
this reason he asked military help from Bareilly. But the
situation in Bareilly, as has already been described, was
not such that help could be sent to Budaun. However,
a message from Bareilly came that troops under European
officers would be despatched on the 1st of June. At this
news Edwardes felt happy and on the 1st of June sat with
his eyes towards the road from Bareilly. He soon saw a
government man coming galloping on towards Budaun.
In the hope that he would be the forerunner of the
succour which he expected, Edwardes hastily interrogated
him. But in reply, instead of an assurance of help from
Bareilly, he got the message that, at Bareilly itself, the
English power was at an end ! There were Sepoys kept
at Budaun to guard the treasury, and Edwardes asked
their head, “Bareilly has become independent ; what
about Budaun ?” The head replied that the Sepoys
under him were loyal and that there was no cause for
anxiety. But in the evening, the town of Budaun rose in
revolt ! The Sepoys at the treasury, the police, and the
leading citizens announced, by beat of drum that the
English rule was at an end. Thus, the whole district
went willingly into the hands of Khan Bahadur Khan.
2. Charles Ball’s Indian Mutiny.
175

THE ERUPTION
The Sepoys took the treasure and marched towards Delhi
and all the English officers at Budaun began to run about
in the forests at night. Under privations of food and
clothing for weeks, hiding everywhere, sometimes in the
stable of some villager, sometimes in deserted houses,
English collectors, and magistrates, and English women,
were running about to save their lives. Some of them
were killed, some died, and some lived under the protection
of kindly "natives!"
In this manner, the whole province of Rohilkhand rose
in a day! In Bareilly, in Shahjahanpur, in Moradabad,
in Budaun, and other district towns, the military, the
police, and the citizens issued Proclamations and deported
the British Power in the space of a few hours! The Eng-
lish power was smashed and the Swadeshi government was
put in its stead; British flags were torn down, and green
flags began to fly in the court-houses and police-stations
and offices. India assumed the role of ruler and England
was put in the prisoner’s dock! This extraordinary trans-
formation took place in a whole province in a few hours!
What wonder that not a drop of Swadeshi blood was shed
in freeing the whole of Rohilkhand? Instead of saying
"Rohilkhand is dependent," all said "Rohilkhand is free,"
and the thing was done! On one day, unanimously,
everywhere and at once, the police, the Sepoys, and citi-
zens rose and drove away the few English officers in the
district towns. No more pains than this were required to
make the province free! A strong organisation of secret
societies, and the swift and clever execution of the plan
proposed, these were the two things which enabled Rohil-
khand to free itself from the English and accept the rule
of Khan Bahadur Khan.
All the Sepoys went away to Delhi to fight under the
leadership of Bakht Khan, the head of the Bareilly artil-
lery above-mentioned. Then, Khan Bahadur Khan
formed a new force to keep order in the province and the
176

ROHILKHAND
capital. Almost all citizens were formed into a militia.
The civil departments were also organised and almost all
the previous holders of offices were confirmed in their
posts. And the chief posts, occupied previously by
Europeans, were now given to Indians. The government
land-tax was assessed in the name of the Emperor of Delhi.
Courts of justice were opened as before and the former
officers were retained. In short, there was no break in
any department or its work on account of the Revolution,
except that, instead of Englishmen, the chief officers were
Indians. Khan Bahadur Khan personally wrote an ac-
count of the doings in his province to the Emperor, and the
following Proclamation was posted throughout Rohilkhand.
“ Residents of Hindusthan ! The long-looked-for festival
of Swaraj has arrived ! Are you going to accept or refuse
it ? Are you going to take advantage of this great op-
portunity or are you going to let it go out of your hands ?
Hindu and Mahomedan Brethren ! Be it known to all of
you that, if these English are permitted to remain in India,
they will butcher all and put an end to your religion !
The residents of Hindusthan have so long been deceived
by Englishmen, and have cut their necks with their own
swords. So, now we must repair this sin of treachery
to our country ! The Englishmen will try, now also, their
old work of deception ; they will try to incite the Hindus to
rise against Mussalmans, and the Mahomedans to rise
against the Hindus. But, Hindu Brethren ! do not fall
into their nets. It is hardly necessary to tell our clever
Hindu brethren that the English never keep their pro-
mises. They are adepts in the art of trickery and deceit-
ful imposture ! They have all along been trying to root
out all other religions on earth but their own ! Have they
not pushed aside the rights of adopted children ? Have
they not swallowed up the countries and kingdoms of our
Kings ! Who took away the kingdom of Nagpur ? Who
took away the kingdom of Lucknow ? Who has trampled
under foot both Hindus and Mahomedans ? Mussulmans,
if you revere the Koran, and Hindus, if you revere the
Published by Asian Educational Services, New Delhi, 2014.
177
12

THE ERUPTION
cow-mother, forget now your minor differences and unite
together in this sacred war ! Jump into the battlefield
fighting under one banner, and wash away the name of
the English from India in streams of blood ! If the
Hindus will join hands with the Mahomedans in this war,
if they will, also, take the field for the freedom of our
country, then, as a reward for their patriotism, the killing
of cows will be put a stop to. In this holy war, he who
fights himself, and he who helps another to fight, by
means of money, will attain earthly and spiritual freedom!
But, if anyone will oppose this Swadeshi war, then, he
will strike at his own head and be guilty of the sin
of suicide ! ”
Leaving Rohilkhand for the present to make its prepara-
tions for defending the Swaraj which it has got back, we
shall go to Benares and Allahabad to see what is taking
place there.
178

CHAPTER VII
BENARES & ALLAHABAD
ABOUT four hundred and sixty miles from
Calcutta lies the ancient city of Benares, on the
banks of the sacred Ganges, shining in all her
historical glory. Benares is surely the queen of
all the cities that have been built by the side of
the cool, clear, and holy waters of the Bhagirathi.
The rows of houses mounting higher and higher from the
banks of the Ganges, the domes of tall temples with golden
steeples glittering in the sun, the thick rows of trees grace-
fully raising their heads to the sky, the grand harmony of
the innumerable bells sounded in the temples, and, above
all, the sacred temple of Vishweshvara, all these give a
179

THE ERUPTION
unique splendour to the city of Benares. The pleasure-
seekers go there for amusement, the devoted for prayer,
the Sanyasis for contemplation, and the holy for salvation.
All these achieve their various purposes in the holy city.
For people who are satiated with pleasures of the world,
holy Benares is a place of retirement, and for those un-
fortunates whose hopes and desires of happiness in this
world are shattered by the jealousy and spite of cruel and
wicked men, Benares and the sprays of the cool Ganges
are a haven of rest.
Thanks to the English, there was no want of such un-
fortunate men in 1857 coming to end their days of toil
in that haven of refuge and peace. Several Hindu and
Mahomedan nobles, helpless since the palaces of Delhi and
Poona and Nagpur etc. were closed to them, and the
plundered royal families of Sikh and Mahratta princes,
were telling their tale of woe in Benares in every temple
and every Musjid. In this holy city, it is no surprise that
the degradation of Swadharma and the destruction of
Swaraj were being hotly discussed among both Hindus
and Mahomedans. The military station of the province
was Sikroli, which was a short distance from Allahabad.
There was the 37th infantry, the Ludhiana Sikh regiment,
and a cavalry regiment ; the artillery was purposely kept
in the hands of Englishmen. Among the Sepoys, the
desire to rise for Swadharma and Swaraj had been
secretly fomented by various means. As the year 1857
approached, signs were evident that there was a tremendous
agitation among the populace at Benares. The chief
commissioner at the city, Tucker, Judge Gubbins, Magis-
trate Lind, and other civil officers, as well as Captain
Olpherts, Colonel Gordon, and other military officers had
from the first taken great precautions for the safety of the
English at Benares. For, in that city, the popular agita-
tion often outstepped the limits of secrecy and sometimes
became almost uncontrollable. Purbhayyas openly shouted
prayers in the temples, “ God, release us from the rule of
180

BENARES AND ALLAHABAD
the Feringhis ! " ¹ Secret societies were formed to ascer-
tain the strength of the movement in other places. When
the month of May came, there was quite a number of
Mahomedan preachers in the Sepoy camp, proclamations
were affixed to the city walls and public squares asking
the people to rise,² and at last, things went so far, that
Hindu priests began holding public prayer-meetings in the
temples to pray for the destruction of the English and
the victory of Swaraj. About the same time, the prices
of grains went up enormously, and, when English officers
went about explaining how, according to the laws of
political economy, the grain merchants would, in the end,
be the losers if prices rose any more, people said boldly
to their very faces, " It is you who have made everything
dear in our country ; and now you come to lecture to us ! "
The English were so much terror-struck at this ugly
manifestation of popular fury, even before the rising, that
Captain Olpherts and Captain Watson themselves insisted
that the English should vacate the place ! At last Gub-
bins said, pathetically, " I will go on my knees to you
not to leave Benares ! ", and the plan of evacuation was
temporarily postponed ! And, indeed, why should it not
be so ? For have not the Sikh nobles established a volun-
teer corps, now, to protect the English ? And has not the
descendant of Chet Singh whom Warren Hastings trampl-
ed down, also joined the English ? When there is so much
" loyalty " yet, there is no reason why the English should
leave Benares !
But, while the English of Benares, relying on the strength
of this loyalty, had given up the idea of leaving Benares,
terrible news began to come from the direction of Azim-
garh. Azimgarh is situated about sixty miles from
Benares, and the 17th native regiment was posted there.
In this regiment, a tremendous agitation commenced since
the 31st of May, and the magistrate, Mr. Horne had been

1. Report of the Joint-Magistrate, Mr. Taylor.
2. Red Pamphlet.
   181

THE ERUPTION
delivering sweet speeches to pacify the Sepoys ! But the
days were gone when such empty lectures would have
pacified soldiers. The 31st of May dawned, and the
Barracks at Benares were set fire to, the sign for the
other Sepoys in the province to rise. So, the rising must
take place in the first week of June. To-day is the 3rd
of June and a good day. For, don’t you see that the
treasure of Gorakhpore, together with the treasure of
Azimgarh—altogether seven lakhs of Rupees—is being
sent to Benares ? What better opportunity can you
desire or expect ?
The twilight of the 3rd of June was slowly changing to the
darkness of the night at Azimgarh. All the English
officers of Sepoy regiments were dining together at the
club, and the women and children were playing and frolic-
king near by. Immediately, the party heard a tremendous
noise. The English had by the first week of June learnt
by heart the meaning of these sudden crashes. Even the
sudden hush in the midst of their jollity looked like a
mutual whisper of “ The Sepoys have risen ! ” Just then
followed a thundering noise of drums and clarionets !
Not a moment passed before the white people, with the
picture of the Meerut events before their mind’s eye,
started running for dear life. Officers, women and chil-
dren despaired of life. But the Azimgarh Sepoys, seeing
this unfortunate people suffering a worse agony of death,
relinquished all thoughts of revenge. They took charge
of them in order to protect them from being harmed by
stray Sepoys, and ordered them to leave Azimgarh at
once. But what about some of the over enthusiastic Sepoys
who had sworn to shed English blood on that day ? ³
Well then, Lieutenant Hutchinson and Quarter-Sergeant
Lewis, at least your bodies must fall a prey to our bullets!
Enough, let the rest run away alive. If they cannot run,
we have no objection to their leaving in carriages ! But
3. Narrative, p. 58.
182

BENARES AND ALLAHABAD
the officers and their wives complained, "Who will give
us carriages now?" But the Sepoys replied gallantly,
"Do not be anxious; we will give you carriages." With
such extraordinary magnanimity, the Sepoys brought
carriages, took away the handcuffs of the English, put
them in carriages, and even gave a few Sepoys as guard;
and thus, the whole caravan, including all the flags and
other signs of English rule, started forth for Benares!
On the other side, the treasure of seven lakhs, the English
store of ammunition, the prison bearing the stamp of
British rule, offices, roads, barracks—all fell into the hands
of the Sepoys. And who was foremost in all this work?
It was the police, the police whom the English trusted for
information about a possible rising in order to save their
lives! The police were as well undermined and as harm-
less on the surface as the Sepoys. When the appointed
time came, they began by hoisting the flag of Swaraj on
the English houses and prisons. Some Englishmen who
did not find room in the carriages going to Benares ran
away in the night to Ghazipur. When the sun rose the
next day, it gazed in admiration at the marvellous trans-
formation that had taken place during its short absence,
and shone delightfully on the revolutionary flag flying at
Azimgarh. The Sepoys, in the flush of victory, drew up
a great military procession; and, to the strains of martial
music and banners unfurled marched away to Fyzabad.
Although the news of the freedom of Azimgarh reached
Benares, there were hopes amongst the English that
Benares at least would be safe. Since the news of the
Meerut rising, John Lawrence in the Panjab and Lord
Canning in Calcutta had been straining every nerve to send
English troops to the chief centres of the Revolution.
Since the northern army was busy in the siege of Delhi,
there was perfect helplessness in the parts south of Delhi,
and English officers sent pathetic requests to Calcutta,
saying, "For God's sake, send us Europeans!" We have
already described how, by this time, Lord Canning had
183

THE ERUPTION
called European troops from Bombay, Madras, and Ran-
goon, and had retained in India the army destined for the
now abandoned invasion of China. Out of these troops,
General Neill, with the Madras fusiliers had, about this
time, arrived at Benares. The first succour of European
troops, and that too under a bold, able, and cruel general
like Neill, restored the confidence of the English at Benares.
Just then, the English army at Danapur also came to
Benares. As there was extraordinary unrest in Benares
and there was clear evidence that the Sepoys were also
concerned in the Revolutionary propaganda, the English
thought that they should make an attempt to crush the
Revolution in its embryo. From the first, the English
were confident that this could easily be done by the com-
bined strength of General Neill's troops, the Sikh nobles
and soldiers, and the artillery. The news of Azimgarh
reached Benares on the 4th of June and it was decided
after considerable discussion that the Sepoys should be
disarmed before they rose. Accordingly, a general parade
was ordered that afternoon.
Hearing this order, the Sepoys guessed the rest. They
also got the secret information that the English held the
artillery in readiness. When on the parade maidan the
English officers gave them the order to lay down their
arms, it was clear to them that they would be first dis-
armed, and then blown from the mouth of guns. There-
fore, instead of laying down their arms, they attacked
the neighbouring arsenal and fell on the English officers
with fierce cries. Just then, there arrived on the scene
the Sikh regiment intended to overawe them. The Sikhs
were at the time possessed of such a spirit of loyalty to
England, that they fell at the feet of the English and
prayed to be given a chance of fighting the Sepoys, at
least for a short time ! A Hindu Sepoy attacked their
commander Guise and he dropped down dead in an
instant. Hardly had Brigadier Dodgson arrived to take
his place, when a Sikh Sepoy, at the inspiration of the
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BENARES AND ALLAHABAD
moment, shot him ! But the other Sikhs, unable to for-
give this great crime, hacked him to pieces ! The Sikhs
were waiting for the reward of this loyal deed, when the
English artillery opened fire on them all ! Seeing the
confusion going on between the Hindu and the Sikh
Sepoys, the English authorities must have suspected that
the Sikh regiment also had deserted them. On account
of this misunderstanding, they opened fire on all indis-
criminately. Now the unfortunate Sikhs had no other
way left but to join the Revolutionaries ! All the Indians,
together, attacked the artillery thrice. This was about
the only prominent occasion in the history of 1857 when
Hindus, Mahomedans, and Sikhs, unitedly fell upon the
English ! But, at that very moment, the Sikhs were mak-
ing extraordinary efforts to expiate this sin ! While the
battle between the English and the Sepoys was raging
near the barracks, there was a fear that the townsmen
would also rise. In this fear, English officers, women,
and children were running about in the streets. Then
the Sikh Sirdar, Surat Singh, rushed forward to protect
them. The treasury at Benares, besides containing lakhs
of Rupees, also contained the most valuable ornaments
wrested by the English from the late Sikh Queen. And
this treasury was guarded by the Sikhs ! It was here im-
possible that the Sikhs would not entertain the idea of
taking hold of the treasury and taking back the ornaments
belonging to their Queen who had been deported by the
English. But their leader, the loyal Surat Singh, came
forward and arranged that his co-religionists should not
touch any of them ! And, soon, the treasure was trans-
ferred to the guard of English soldiers. At this time, a
Pundit, called Gokul Chand, had also joined the side of
the English. Even the Raja of Benares placed his all—
his influence, his wealth, and his power—his everything at
the feet of his lord—not Kashi Vishweshwara, but—the
English ! The Sepoys alone did not surrender in spite of
the hot fire, but retired fighting out of the field and
spread all over the province.
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THE ERUPTION
No doubt, the English, following John Lawrence’s plan
in the Panjab, crushed the Benares rising in embryo ; but
the news that Benares had risen spread with lightning
rapidity all over Northern India, and the different Revo-
lutionary centres, which were waiting with their eyes
directed towards Benares, began a series of risings. Javan-
pur rose on the 5th of June. When the news arrived at
Javanpur that the Sepoys from Benares were coming there
in all haste, the English officers began to deliver lectures
on loyalty to the Sikh Sepoys stationed there. But these
lectures had hardly ended when the tramp of Benares
Sepoys was heard rapidly approaching ! The few Sikh
Sepoys at Javanpur who belonged to the Sikh regiment at
Benares at once joined the Revolutionaries, and the
whole was ablaze in the flames of the Revolution. Seeing
this, the joint magistrate, Cuppage, again stood up to
lecture, but, from the audience, came a whizzing bullet
instead of applause, and the magistrate sahib fell down
dead ! Commanding officer Lieutenant Mara also fell
shot by a bullet. After this, the Revolutionaries attacked
the treasury and ordered all the English to clear out of
Javanpur. Now, the Benares cavalry too entered the
town. They had taken terrible oaths to kill every English-
man they met. Seeing an old deputy collector running,
the Sowars ran after him. Some Javanpur men tried to
mediate, “ Give the poor man his life, he has treated us
very kindly.” But the Sepoys replied, “Can’t help it ;
he is an Englishman and must die ! ” ⁴
Even in times of such excessive hatred, the Revolutionaries
gave permission to Englishmen who surrendered, to lay
down their arms and run away quietly. Making use of
this permission, most of the Englishmen vacated Javanpur
and departed in a short time. They hired boats on the
banks of the Ganges to go to Benares. But, when in the
middle of the stream, the boatmen looted them and left
4. Charles Ball’s Indian Mutiny, Vol. I, page 245.
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BENARES AND ALLAHABAD
them on the sands ! There, at Javanpur, the whole town
came out, looted and burnt English houses, and mixed
into dust all the signs of their power. The Sepoys took
as much treasure as they could carry and marched towards
Ayodhya. Then, the old women of the town and paupers
who had never had a Rupee in their lives, were placed in
charge of the remaining treasure. They helped themselves
with it plentifully, and showered blessings heartily on
Swaraj and the Revolution !
In this way rose Azimgarh on the 3rd of June, Benares on
the 4th, and Javanpur on the 5th. The whole province
of Benares was in flames. If the chief town of a province
falls to the enemy, the Revolution, as a rule, loses strength
in that province. For the whole province to depend on
the capital in times of Revolution is regarded as a most
dangerous fault in Revolutionarv tactics. Mazzini says,
“ Wherever our flag flies, that is our capital.” The capital
must follow the Revolution and not vice versa. How-
ever accurately the map of a Revolution might have been
drawn in the beginning, it is impossible that events will
happen in a settled order during its course ; therefore,
though it fails in the capital, the province must never give
it up. Undoubtedly, Benares gave a very good illustration
of this principle. For though the capital of the province,
the city of Benares, fell into the grip of the English, in
the province itself, the cyclone of the Revolution arose at
once and enshrouded the whole atmosphere. Zemindars,
peasants, Sepoys,—all began to consider English rule as
unholy as cow’s flesh ! Even small villages, if they heard
that an Englishman was within their boundaries, would
beat and drive him out ! ⁵ Especially the people were so
5. At every successive stage of this military revolt, the fact of
a deep-seated and widespread feeling of hatred and an unappeasable
revengefulness for an assumed wrong is more plainly developed.
The desire for plunder was only a secondary influence in producing
the calamities to which the European residents of various places
were exposed.”—Charles Ball’s Indian Mutiny, Vol. I, page 245.
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THE ERUPTION
disgusted not only with Englishmen but with everything
they had done, that they could not bear to see anything
connected with the English before their eyes! They
drove away Zemindars appointed by the English—good or
bad—and put the old hereditary Zemindars instead. In
one week disappeared, completely, English methods of
taxation, their prisons, and their courts of ‘ justice ’ ! The
telegraph lines were cut off ; the railway lines were dug
up ; behind every hillock and every bush were hidden
villagers thirsting for English blood and money ; and most
of all, in village boundaries, warders were parading so that
the English should get not only no provisions but not
even any information! In these circumstances, the
misery of the English knew no bounds! And still, the
city of Benares had been frustrated in its attempt at
freedom, and the Sepoys who rose had marched to Oudh!
When the attempt of the 4th of June at Benares failed
and wholesale arrests followed, an important fact came to
light.⁶ Only from such incidental events it is possible to
understand how the machinery of the Secret Organisation
had been worked. Three of the most active agitators and
a millionaire banker were arrested at Benares. When
their houses were searched, some very violent letters
written in cipher and received from the chief centre of
the Revolutionary organisation, fell into the hands of the
Government. The most important of these letters came
from “a head leader.” Their substance was as follows :—
“The Benares citizens should rise at once. Kill Gubbins,
Lind, and other Englishmen. The money for this work
will be given by the banker....” When the house of this
banker was searched, a store of 200 swords and
rifles was discovered!
6. “No sooner had it been known in the districts that there had
been an insurrection at Benares, than the whole country rose like
one man. Communications were cut off with the neighbouring
stations and it appeared as if the Ryots and the Zemindars were
about to attempt the execution of the project which the Sepoys
failed to accomplish in Benares.”—Red Pamphlet, page 91.
188