Skip to main content

The Massacres of 1857...

This is based on the book referenced below; I have also read one of the books the main source I have referred to, which has also been linked below. This is an unknown part of Indian History... The First War Of Independence in 1857, and how the British won it...

This is what I call The Genocide of Indians in 1857 - 59 : This took place in 2 waves - and was planned at the topmost levels of the British Hierarchy. Village after village were targeted in a cold-blooded manner, and emptied of its citizens through murder - planned, brutal and cold-blooded murder. This was not an impassioned outrage {albeit fanned by vested interests}, nor was it done as a result of a conquerers victory in war.

What makes it mind-numbingly shocking and stunning is the simple fact that this was planned, and perpetrated as a vicious punishment, as a war strategy to take the war to civilian non-combatants with an intention of defeating the enemy - against a people who were fighting for independence, in their own country - and it was done by a people who had no business being here in the first place

This was supported - believe it or not - by legal acts which were drawn up solely to provide a legal cover for the same. The shocking content of those acts - no less than 4 in number - virtually gave a free hand to the wholesale slaughter of an entire people. This was repeated across innumerable villages, where countless men, women and children were wantonly put to death in 1857-58. This was a shocking saga of wholesale and planned Genocide that surpasses belief.

The impact of the same was immediate: the first wave of retaliation resulted in the collapse of the War effort in 1857. The planners resurrected; the British responded again. Jhansi was reduced to rubble, the majority of its citizens reduced to dead bodies. The brutality at Jhansi was unparalleled; so much so, none of this reached the official historical record.

Except for 2 little details. First, an eyewitness - who survived at Jhansi, wrote a Marathi book {I have read its translation} - Mazhaa Pravaas detailing the brutal genocide in stomach-turning detail.

And second, in an effort to win the prize money {oh, yes - there was a prize money as well}, several soldiers and officers wrote to their superiors. This became a part of the archival records. Add to that the reality that more than several soldiers wrote their diaries and memoirs which were subsequently published...


This  is supported by documented evidence from a multitude of sources. The  Genocide of Indians - which no one among us knows - goes against every  grain of civilization, and humanity - and destroys the British {and, by  relation, western} homilies of being a more civilized nation. The impact  of the Genocide at Jhansi is even supported by a congratulatory letter  of the English. This was a planned, and targeted attack on the civilian  population, designed to kill the support for the war from the local  population. The inhuman strategy worked - it took more than 7 decades  for the people to rise again. It also explains why The Mahatma and other  leaders were wary of an uprising - it would only have led to wholesale  slaughter of the population. The English proved that, as late as 1919,  they had no compunction in killing unarmed and peaceful civilians. The  real tales of the murders will jolt your heart, and shock you into  numbness, so brutal were the massacres, and so terrifying their import  and inhumanity. Till the modern day, no one in the west recognises these  uncomfortable realities, and instead pontificate to the rest of the  world on the aspect of civilization!!!!! . So wondrously civilised were  our rapists, they received - and followed- orders to use their own  families as human shields in the course of the war - something which is  unknown to the Indian People in our entire history.



“Most of the citizens and all of the Queen’s soldiers in Jhansi were killed; the streets were  left thick with blood slush. Vultures darkened the skies of the city.  Hugh Rose had given strict orders not to allow the Indians to perform  the last rites of the dead. After 7 April, when the entire city was  stinking, and jackals and vultures roamed greedily in search of  decomposed bodies, did he grant permission for the last rites. –  Mahashweta Devi

And this is a man who was Knighted, as well. May I remind everyone that the Victoria Cross is  highest award for valor in The United Kingdom. Contrast this with our  own Paramvir Chakra, and the people who have won it and their deeds.  Truly, his deeds were indeed brave: butchering women and children,  killing civilians… The Butcher Of Jhansi. And we Indians are blissfully  unaware of the true horror of those 4 days…

In the entire  historical record, the above does not find a mention. The record shows a  humane and tolerant treatment to the people; the record was, after all,  written by The Butcher Of Jhansi himself. According to Rose, even the  heavy shelling and cannonading targeted only men!!!!! (Wow, what  technology: and this was in 1857!). Remember that they were attacking an  entire town… further, Rose makes the claim that it was the Indian Men  who killed their women! And this found its way into the official record!  -

Why is it that the English records to this day teach of the  Black Hole etc where the English died: but is totally silent on these  atrocities? Even in the modern day, the Westerner is blissfully unaware  of the scale and scope of the horrors and genocide perpetrated in India  from 1757 to 1857! The general consensus seems to be that they brought  order to India, introduced Railways, laws, education etc! Unfortunately  for them their own meticulous records lay bare their claims – as we  shall see in my next post: The Distortions of History – And Their Modern  Repercussions… you will readily find details of Europeans being  massacred in India – but no mention is made of the people they massacred  – even today; in the internet age… That, my dear friends, is that hard  truth… as I always say,


Jaago, Sonewaalon

References :

1) Operation Red Lotus : Operation Red Lotus

2) The Real Story Of The Great Uprising : The Real Story Of The Great Uprising

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

PK, The Movie : One Of The Best...

\ PK : A Movie Ahead Of Its Time; A Movie That Is A Very Vital And Current Need! I dont normally review movies; my blog does not lend itself to such an activity, given its positioning as one that asks some tough questions to Indians. I am making an exception for this movie, not because it is a landmark movie {which it is}, but because this movie is also one that asks some pretty blunt, and to some people, offensive questions.  It is rather sad and humbling to see the vigorous protests to this movie, and some cases of active on-street protests and interference in some places. Sad, because there is almost nothing in the content that should excite such actions; and humbling because it is a painful reminder that we as a nation have still a ways to go in our quest for true development! Before I move onto the movie, I have just one question : did the protesters also protest to Haider? If no, you did not find the negative portrayal of The Indian Army objecti

Tarkeshwar Mahadev : Pune Hidden Gems

What do you do when you have something good, something that is praiseworthy, and something that can be an attraction? Answer, if you are in Pune – keep silent about it, tell no one. This is seemingly exaggerated – perhaps it is exaggerated; but I am flabbergasted by a series of unbelievable locations that I have visited in Pune City – within main Pune City, mind you . These are not well known – at least not one single localite informed me, even on asking . At least those I talked. If I didn’t talk to the right people, perhaps I am in the wrong. But – if you expand your vision to TV, Cinema, Popular opinion, hotels – the situation above gets proof. I earlier visited Pune on a family holiday, stayed in a good Hotel. Not one Hotel informed me of these; not one person – Taxi, Tour Guide – even mentioned these . Thus, it seems to me that Puneites don’t realise how lovely a city they have, how mesmerizing are its many, many tourist-worthy places, how rich and unspoiled,

Book Review : Chhatrapati Shivaji

Chhattrapati Shivaji stands as one of the most celebrated medieval heroes in Modern India; it is a name that touches a chord in almost every Indian, and is a powerful force to reckon with even today, three centuries after his death. He is present everywhere you can see; he is one of the few to withstand the onslaught of naming everything in sight after the Nehru family. A Chhatrapati square her, a Shivaji Terminus there – many cities have honoured themselves with some landmark, statue, street or square in his name. Such is his current followership, and so powerful is his presence. This makes reviewing any book related on this personality a big responsibility, a tough task  – and not one to be taken with insincerity, or with bias,  or attitude. I had always thought of The Chhatrapati as a tall personality, a commanding and great Indian; but had never given a thought to the pull, the deep connect and the powerful influence this genius had on me; as I read the current book, as I t