CIVIL REBELLION IN GORAKHPUR DURING THE REVOLT OF 1857

1.1. The great uprising of 1857 is a Landmark in the history of our freedom struggle. It was the most severe outburst of anger and discontent accumulated in the hearts of Indian masses and classes ever since the inception of British rule in Bengal following the battles of Plassey and Buxar. It has been generally believed that it was a mere sepoy Mutiny, but recent work and studies have proved that it was not merely a mutiny but an upsurge of the civil population as well. Jawaharlal Nehru in his book The Discovery of India says. "It was much more that a military mutiny and it spread rapidly and assumed the character of a popular rebellion and war of Indian Independence" It began with a mutiny of the sepoys. The first shot was fired at Meerut, on 10th May 1857, and soon engulfed wide regions and people. Masses rose under the leadership of local leaders, rajas, Zamindars, Talukdars and soldiers and its flames reached Gorakhpur. First, there was revolt in the army. Then the rajas and zamindars hoisted the flag of revolt and were given sup- port by the people. Thus it became a civil opposition to British supremacy.

1.2 The Chief European Civil and Military authorities at Gorakhpur when the mutiny began at Meerut and Delhi were. Mr. W. Wynyard who was a Judge, Mr. W.Paternson, Magistrate and Mr. F Bird who was a Joint Magistrate. Captain steel was the commanding Officer of the army. The British officials had to face the rebels. The Babus of Pana revolted and gained control over the communications of the region. The second center of revolt was Narhrput. The British had made Balharganj their headquarters with a strong force. The raja of Narharpur attacked the British and was forced to flee. The British in order to consolidate their position gained the support of the Sikhs of Nepal and Punjab and got complete success. Thus Nepal and Punjab were responsible, in curbing the revolution in Gorakhpur. The Rajas of Satasi and Narharpur gave their support to the revolutionaries against the British, but the Britishers were fortunate in gaining the support of the Raja of Bansi.

1.3 During the time, one Gorkha regiment reached Gorakhpur from Palpa and for sometime there was peace in the Gorakhpur city and vicinity though there was revolution in the distant areas. The rising was general and the landed chiefs secretly or openly supported the rebellion. Eventually, the rule of Mohammad Hasan, the rebel leader and nazim of Gorakhpur came to prevail. The Hindu Patriot, wrote, "Mahomed Hussain Khan, who holds the Goruckpore district, has adopted for his motto High above the stars stands the name of Mahomed Hussain Khan2 His authority was challenged both by the raja of Bansi and the Rani of Basti. The widespread idea that the British rule was fast disappearing induced many chiefs like the rajas of Nagar and Satsi and zamindar of Amorah to take up arms. After the re-conquest of Gorakhpur on 5th Jan. 1858, the rebels moved westward and formed a double entrenchment and Amorah in the South Western part of the Basti, district to obstruct the March of Rowcroft from Gorakhpur.

1.4 Gorakhpur had a population somewhat exceeding three millions. Mohammed Hasan who had been formerly the Governor of the country lost his office after the annexation. Symptoms of disaffection appeared there towards the end of May, the chiefs of Pynah and Narharpur attacked police stations and ferry ghats. News of the Azamgarh mutiny created great tension especially in the northern and western parganas of the district. Though martial law was proclaimed by the middle of June the mounting acts of violence would hardly be checked. The employment of Gurkha troops, did not improve the situation. The tahsil of Khalilabad and Captainganj fell into the hands of the rebels on 10 and 12 August respectively, which obliged the Government party to leave the station on the 13th.

1.5 Gorakhpur passed under the rule of Mohammed Hasan who proclaimed himself the nizam and attached to himself the loyalty of the landed proprietors. The whole country was surging with revolt and fortifications or rather loop-holed earthworks erected here and there forcibly illustrated systematized rebellion. An action was fought in 26 Dec 1857, at Sohanpur on the Gorakhpur frontier on the west bank of the little Gandak, between the forces of colonel Rewcroft and the rebels.

1.6 Letters found in the possession of Mohammed Hasan show that a large number of disaffected elements joined him. The raja of Nagar and the raja of Narharpur deeply committed themselves against the British. Rajkumar Amresh Singh the Rajcumars on the Jaunpur border Udresh Singh and Chondresh Singh and many others including the raja of Churda" joined the revolt. Official reports make casual references to many other leaders who joined the rising at Gorakhpur.

1.7 Muhammed Hasan successfully started his rule in Gorakhpur He kept the government treasury safe. The revolutionaries however burnt the house ofBird since he was the representative of the British government. The raja of Gorakhpur refused to give land revenue and army was sent against him due to his indiscipline and he sought shelter in Azamgarh. Those who supported the revolutionaries were rewarded. Thus the people of Gorakhpur for some duration freed themselves from the foreign yoke and ruled independently, but this was to be short-lived as the third regiment of Nepal supported the British and again gained a firm footing in Gorakhpur. Under the leadership of Ramajang Bhahadur a large regiment attacked Gorakhpur. The revolutionaries in Gorakhpur did not have sufficient means of face to the enemy. The Gorakhas mercilessly looted and plundered and with their help the British were once again able to gain a strong footing in Gorakhpur. Mohammed Hasan had to flee and his followers made but feeble resistance when Gorakhpur was reconquered by the Nepal army on 6th Jan.

1.8 The first work of the British government was to suppress the rebellion, take revenge from the civil population which had disobeyed the British authority and to give awards to its loyal supporters People were hanged on trees and it is said that in Mohala Alinagar, there was a people tree on which quite a few people were hanged. Many villages were burnt and zamindar of Satasi, Barhuapur, Chillupar, Shahpur Dhuryapar and several others were confiscated. The zamindars of Gopalpur, Miya Sahib of Gorakhpur, were rewarded. The state of Dumri was also confiscated and was given to Sardar Surat Singh a relation of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

1.9 It will thus be seen that in Gorakhpur the rebellion of 1857 was quite wide spread. It was not only a sepoy mutiny but the civil population also took active part. In Gorakhpur as well as in several other places the civil population rebelled against British supremacy. By the end of 1859 the British authority over India was fully re-established but the revolt had not been in vain. The heroic and patriotic struggle of 1857 left an unforgettable impression on the minds of the Indian people and served as a constant source of inspiration in their later struggle for freedom and paved the way for the independence of our country.

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