|
Page4
They were tried
by a court-martial and sentenced to imprisonment and hard labour. In addition they were
publicly put to shame, stripped of their uniforms and put into shackles. This greatly
excited the other sepoys. They decided to free India from the Britishers.
On a Sunday in May 1857 they rushed to the Meerut Jail and released all the imprisoned
sepoys. Other convicts of the jail also joined them. From there they rushed out to kill
all the Europeans, set fire and plunder their houses.
The Meerut mutineers then marched to Delhi and, entering the Red Fort, proclaimed
Bahadur Shah as the Emperor of India. For a while the sepoy mutiny succeeded.
Later on, however, Delhi was recaptured by the British and the mutiny was suppressed.
Historians say that the mutiny of 1857 was one of the early fights for the freedom of this
country. It failed because the movement was not planned and organised and it had no
leaders.
|
