A. O. Hume and 1857 Rebel in Etawah : A Study Dr. Shailendra Kumar Sharma AM-20217 Head-Department of History, K.K. (PG) College, Etawah Email- shailosho@gmail.com Etawah is a city on the banks of Yamuna River in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Etawah District. The city was an important center for the Revolt of 1857 (Allan Octavian Hume, the founder of Indian National Congress was district collector then). Also is the place of sangam or confluence between Yamuna and Chambal. It is also the site of the remains of the Great Hedge of India. 1 When freedom struggle started in 1857. The news of the outbreak of struggle -against the British at Meerut reached Etawah on May 12, 1857. The Indian sepoys at that time stationed at Etawah consisted of a detachment of the 8th Irregulars, and a wing of the 9th Infantry. As a precautionary measure, the British authorities at once employed them with the police in patrolling the roads. 2 On 16 th May first violent incident occurred in Etawah when an attempt was made to disarm a small party of mutineers from the 3 rd Lightly Cavalry, Meerut. 3 The incident occurred when one of the patrolling parties was on the Agra road, it met seven armed men. The Kotwal of the patrolling party challenged them, and as their replies were unsatisfactory he arrested seven of them. These resisted disarmament desperately, but four of them were killed on the spot and two were captured, the remaining one succeeding in effecting his escape. This band of Indian-sepoys consisted of Pathan troopers who had been engaged at Meerut but joined the struggle. The official report was that the district was known lor the loyalty of its inhabitants, but in few districts the struggle of the people assumed such a proportion. In another incident of the struggle against the British when Jaswantnagar (in tahsil Etawah) was besieged by the Indian sepoys from Meerut. A.O. Hume, the district Magistrate of Etawah, on learning that the 9 th Native Infantry at Aligarh and Mainpuri had mutinied, (the mutineers attacked the treasury and the police) 4 organized the evacuation of the Europeans and the garrison (also of the 9 th N.I.) to the more defensible town of Barhpura, across the Jamuna River, on the Gwalior road. On 22 nd May, the troops with their officers and ladies marched towardsthe Yamuna with a view to occupying a position at Barhpura (in tehsils Etawah). No signs had hitherto appeared of disaffection among these troops; but just as they reached the ghat on the Yamuna, suddenly the majority of them rose against the British and turned 27 O c t o b e r t o D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 5
back to Etawah. Those who remained loyal to the British reached Barhpura safely the lame day accompanied by their officers and ladies. The sepoys who returned to Etawah attacked the treasury. and carried off a large amount of treasure on the backs of camels arid the local police at once disappeared, while the collector and an another British officer who had remained behind to guard, the civil station, were forced to fly, and they joined the party at Barhpura. Immediately the rising became general mixed bodies of sepoys, city rabble, Mewatis. Julahas and Rajputs commenced plundering the sepoys lines, carried off arms and ammunition and burnt two bungalows besides the sessions court house, and the post office. They also broke the district jail and released the prisoners. 5 However, most of the troops declined to remain in Etawah, that night of 22 nd May. 6 At Barhpura, the fugitive British solicited help from the Bhadauria Rajputs but without success. On May 24, they being joined by fresh re-inforcernents from Gwalior. proceeded towards Etawah and re-occupied it the next day. In order to restore the British authority, martial law was proclaimed on May 27. In-spite of this the zamindars of village Samthar (in tahsil Bharthana) kept up the struggle and refused to surrender until their fort was stormed and burnt and the garrison put to the sword by the British. The result of this incident was.that very soon the whole country around was up in arms. As a precautionary measure, the European ladies, and children were sent to Agra escorted by a mixed detachment of the Gwalior regiment and the local levies raised by Kunwar Zohar Singh of Partabner (in tahsil Etawah) Their departure was again followed by general rising and the British authority was threatened by the freedom fighters at Bela, Phaphund and Auraiya. Hume now dispatched 200 grenadiers towards Auraiya and directed the tahsildar of Bela to collect supplies and to enlist fresh troops with the hope of establishing the British authority. But suddenly his hopes were dashed to the ground when news came on June 16, that the Gwalior regiment also rose against the British. The troops enlisted at Etawah refused in the presence of the collector to obey their commanding officer. The collector and another British officer were also informed that the troops had intended to murder their officers 8. There was then no force left in the district upon which the Europeans could rely. Therefore on the morning of June 17, all Europeans quitted the district for Agra. As soon as they left, the grenadiers plundered the treasury and also a few shops in the city and moved across the river. On 24 th May, A.O. Hume, who had safely reached the loyal troops from Barhpura, was joined by Major Hennessy and the Grenadier Regiment of the Gwalior Contingent. 7 On the following day, i.e. on 25 th May 1857, Hume, 28 O c t o b e r t o D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 5
Hennessy and the troops from Barhpura re-occupied the town of Etawah. 8 Energetic measures were at once adopted for the restoration of order; numbers of persons were arrested with property in their possession stolen from the lines and bungalows. Much more was given up by persons who professed to have forcibly regained it from robbers or to have originally taken it under their protection, several gangs of dacoits were broken up or dispersed. And on May 27 th martial law was proclaimed. Hume sent the European women and children (approximately 30) of Etawah to Agra under an Indian military escort unit, led by Lakshman Singh, his de facto deputy collector on 14 th June 1857. At the same time, he attempted to restore in the disturbed south-eastern tahsils of the district Etawah. On the 16 th of June news arrived of mutiny and massacre at Gwalior. This was communicated by the senior native officer to Major Hennassy. The latter explained his intended course of action, that he would at once set off for Agra, but the former refused to obey and declared that he would not proceed to Agra. Hume, ordered by government to remain in Agra, endeavoured, with the assistance of loyal Indian officials and influential Zamindaars, to maintain a semblance of organized administration in the Etawah district. Already a fine marksman with small arms, he spent some of his time learning military artillery techniques. 9 Early in August 1857, the zamindars of the district began to quarrel among themselves regarding their respective jurisdictions. Hume drew up a detailedscheme assigning portions of the district with certain monthly stipends to each of the zamindars and tahsildars. Under this arrangement Phaphund and Bela were entrusted to the tahsildar Debi Prashad, assisted by Chhatar Singh of Sahar and Laik Singh of Harchandpur; Bharthana remained under the control of the tahsildar Ishwari Prashad, and Rao Jaswant Rao of Dalipnagar. Etawah tahsil was handed over to Kunwar Zohar Singh, Shyam Bihari Lal of the police being placed in-charge of the city in subordination to the former. Auraiya was managed by the tahsildar, Ram Baksh till he died because of the effects of ill-treatment. The tracts of Chakranagar and Barhpura were entrusted to the charge of Raja Khushal Singh and Rao Jawahir Singh, the former of whom subsequently participated in the struggle against the British 10. Being dissatisfied with the arrangement, Rana Mahendra Singh of Sakrauli and Narayan Singh of Chakranagar defied the authority of Kunwar Zohar Singh and his officers. The Raja of Ruru ousted the government officials, occupied several villages and himself collected revenue. Rup Singh, the uncle of the minor raja of Bhareh, did the same in Auraiya. The pro-british zamindars had expected to receive aid from a British force which advanced to Mainpuri in 29 O c t o b e r t o D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 5
October, 1857. But when it passed on without visiting Etawah and it was learnt that the British were with difficulty holding Lucknow and Kanpur, the people of Etawah began openly to make preparations for struggle and began to assemble in every direction. About this time, the Gwalior contingent of the anti- British sepoys threatened Auraiya, while Rup Singh of Bhareh invited them at Shergarh where he built a bridge of boats,-, for them. But Rao Jaswant Rao and Ishwari Prashad, somehow, managed to destroy, r the bridge of boats. Both of them together with their men were surrounded by Rup Singh and other noted freedom fighters namely Niranjan Singh of Chakernagar, Ram Prashad and Pitam Singh but in the action Ram Prashad lost his life on November 1, 1857. On December 3, the nazim of the nawab of Farrukhabad, the Raja of Ruru and Rana Mahendra Singh of Sakrauli marched into Etawah and inflicted a crushing defeat on Kunwar Zohar Singh who had espoused the British cause. Throughout the district the British supporters were defied. The tahsildar of Bela took refuge in the fort of Chhatar Singh at Sahar and the officials of Phaphund were forced to take refuge in Laik Singh s fort at Harchandpur. Rup Singh occupied Auraiya. But Rao Jaswant Rao andishwari Prashad (the British supporters) however managed to hold Bharthana. On December 25, 1857, a British, column arrived in the district. Kunwar Zohar Singh now surrounded and blew up the Etawah tahsil building from where Taj Khan, was resisting the British advance. On January 6, 1858, the British re-occupied Etawah, but the struggle was hardly crushed. Rup Singh could not be ousted from Auraiya even after a fierce encounter on February 7, 1858, at Sarai Anant Ram in which one hundred and fifty of his men were killed. His troops guarded the Shergarh ghat and maintained communication with the fighting sepoys from Kalm. While he maintained his power at Auraiya, the Chambal-Yamuna tract passed under the control of Chakar Nagar raja Khushal Singh and his son, Niranjan. In March, 1858, a deadly struggle ensued for the recovery of Ajeetmal which was 24 km. from Auraiya and 40 km. from Etawah. The people of the neighbouring villages formed the bulk of the army and defended the place from the attacks of the British. Drastic measures were adopted by the British. Many of the villages were burnt down, but in every case, the British troops were fiercely attacked by isolated parties of Etawah sepoys. On ll th April, the fighters for freedom drew round Ajeetmal from all directions and completely encircled it in a concerted move in which Niranjan, Ganga Singh, Pitam, Bankat and Rup Singh participated, but they were put to rout; Niranjan with his matchlockmen falling back to Gohani on the bank of Yamuna where he strongly entrenched himself by building a number of posts 11. Struggle for the possession of Ajeetmal continued intermittently. It was renewed in May under the leadership of Lalpuri Goshain Nana s purohit and Rup Singh and Niranjan. They it is said increased in strength rapidly. The British officer sent to recoimoiter the position found a strongly posted force of some 600 cavalry, and 1,200 regular infantry. Niranjan in an auxiliary 30 O c t o b e r t o D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 5
movement crossed the Yamuna and tailing up his quarters at Nandgaon plundered Phaphund. The district was fast passing away under the domination of the Indian chiefs who held the Lakhna pargana and controlled all the ghats on the Yamuna. Various skirmishes took place but the fall of Kalpi on May 23, 1858, somewhat damped the revolutionary spirit but not that of Rup Singh; Niranjan and his followers. Pitam Bankat and Ganga Singh who led numerous furtiveexpeditions in the months, of. July and August and surprised various British outposts on many occasions till the Yamuna-Chambal doab was reoccupied by the British -in September-October, 1858. The struggle continued. The arrival of Firuz Shah (a royal prince of Delhi) on December 7, 1858, stirred up discontentment. His large force which included 1,400 cavalry attacked the British army at Harchandpur on December 8, and in the action fought there, in spite of the magnificent charges made by the English commander, theposition of the British army on the whole became weak, and the commander himself was killed. After a sharp engagement which lasted three and a half hours Firuz Shah was obliged to retreat to central India and Malwa, where he joined Tantia Tope. Soon after the struggle, the collector, on his own responsibility, suspended the collection of -the revenue, deeming it to be safer in the hands of a thousand landholders than in a treasury guarded by sepoys 12. REFERENCES 1. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (en.wikipedia.org) 2. E-gazeteer (etawah.nic.in ) 3. Selected Writings of Allan Octavian Hume by S.R. Mehrotra & Edward C. 4. Etawah: A Gazeteer. Edited and compiled by D.L. Drake-Brockman. Allahabad, 1911 5. E-gazeteer (etawah.nic.in ) 6. Selected Writings of Allan Octavian Hume by S.R. Mehrotra & Edward C. 7. Etawah: A Gazeteer. Edited and compiled by D.L. Drake-Brockman. Allahabad, 1911 8. Selected Writings of Allan Octavian Hume by S.R. Mehrotra & Edward C. 9. Ibid, page 81 10. Etawah: A Gazeteer. Edited and compiled by D.L. Drake-Brockman. Allahabad, 1911 11. Rizwi, S.A.A., Freedom Struggle in Uttar Pradesh. 12. Etawah district recors relating to the rebellion of 1857-58, Etawah Collectorate Criminal records, Etawah Mutiny Basta. 31 O c t o b e r t o D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 5