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Barrackpore: The day of 8th April is recorded in golden letters in the pages of Indian history. Exactly 169 years ago, on 8 April 1857, Mangal Pandey, considered the pioneer of India’s first freedom struggle, was hanged by the British government. His martyrdom lit a spark in the entire country, which later emerged as a huge volcano of rebellion against the British.

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That historical incident of Barrackpur, when the constable of 34th BNI of India Company openly rebelled in Barrackpur Cantonment.

Mangal Pandey was a soldier in the 34th Bengal Native Infantry (34th BNI) of the East India Company. The rebellion started when the ‘Enfield rifle’ was introduced in the army. Rumors spread that the cartridges of these rifles contained cow and pig fat, which had to be cut with teeth before use. This hurt the religious sentiments of both Hindu and Muslim soldiers. Along with this, on 29 March 1857, Mangal Pandey openly rebelled in Barrackpore Cantonment. He attacked his British officers and called on other soldiers to join the revolution. When the British tried to arrest him in response to this rebellion, he shot himself instead of surrendering, but he was captured in an injured state.

There was such fear that the local executioners of Barrackpur flatly refused to hang him.

Mangal Pandey was court martialed and he was sentenced to death. According to historians, there was such fear of his bravery and patriotism that the local executioners of Barrackpur flatly refused to hang him and finally four special executioners were called from Calcutta for this task.

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Hanging given 10 days before the scheduled date

The British government was so scared that they felt that Mangal Pandey’s presence could incite more rebellion. Due to this fear, he was hanged in the morning on 8 April 1857, 10 days before the scheduled date of 18 April.

basis of revolution of 1857

?The martyrdom of Mangal Pandey did not go in vain. Just a month after his death, on 10 May 1857, the sepoys in the Meerut cantonment revolted, in what is called India’s ‘First War of Independence’. The slogan of ‘Maro Firangi Ko’ is considered to be the contribution of Mangal Pandey, who helped in uniting millions of Indians.

The nation is paying homage

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Today, floral tributes are being offered to the statues of martyr Mangal Pandey across the country. From Ballia (his birthplace) in Uttar Pradesh to Barrackpore in West Bengal, special programs are being organized in his memory. The Defense Ministry and various state governments have also paid their tribute to this great sacrifice.

Report: Sushil Kumar Sah