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Unit 7: The First Major Challenge

The Religious Disabilities Act of 1850 modified Hindu customs; a change of religion did not old Notes
debar a son from inheriting the property of his heathen father. Stranger rumours were current in
India that Lord Canning had been specially Selected and charged with the duty of converting the
Indians to Christianity. In this surcharged atmosphere even the railways and steamships began to
be looked upon as indirect instruments for changing their faith. The telegraph was regarded as
‘the accursed string’ and the rebels once said that ‘it was this accursed string that strangled them”.
In the words of Benjamin Disraeli: “The Legislative Council of India under the new principle had
been constantly nibbling at the religious system of the native. In its theoretical system of national
education the sacred scriptures had suddenly appeared in the schools”. The Indian mind was
getting increasingly convinced that the English were conspiring to convert them to Christianity.
The activities of Christian padris and efforts of Dalhousie and Bethune towards woman education
made Indians feel that through education the British were going to conquer their civilisation. Even
‘education offices’ set up by the British were styled as shaitani daftars.
Military Causes: Since the Afghan adventure of Lord Auckland, the discipline in the army had
suffered a serious set back Lord Dalhousie had written to the Home authorities that “the discipline
of the army from top to bottom officers and men alike, is scandalous”. The Bengal Army was “ a
great brotherhood in which all the members felt and acted in union”, and service in the army was
hereditary. Three-fifth of the recruits of the Bengal Army were drawn from Oudh and the North-
Western Provinces and most of them came from high caste Brahmin and Rajput families who were
averse to accepting that part of the army discipline which treated them on par with the low caste
recruits. Sir Charles Napier had no confidence in the allegiance of ‘high caste mercenaries’. During
the Governor- Generalship of Lord Dalhousie three mutinies had occurred in the army—the mutiny
of the 22nd N. I. in 1849, of the 66th N. I. in 1850, and the 38th N. I. in 1852.
The Bengal Army sepoys reflected all the feelings of the civil population of Oudh. In the opinion
of Maulana Azad, the annexation of Oudh “marked the beginning of a rebellious mood in the
army generally and in the Bengal army in particular... it gave a rude shock to the people... they
suddenly realised that the power which the Company had acquired through their service and
sacrifice was utilised to liquidate their own king”.
The extension of British dominion in India had adversely affected the service condition of the
sepoys. They were required to serve in area away from their homes without the payment of extra
bhatta. The sepoys yearned for the good old days when the Indian rulers used to crown their
meritorious deeds by bestowing jagirs and other prizes upon them whereas their victories in Sind
and the Panjab had brought worse days for them. In 1844 four Bengal regiments had refused to
moved to Sind till extra bhatta was sanctioned.

In 1824 the sepoys at Barrackpore had refused to serve across the seas in Burma and
the 47th regiment had been disbanded.

In 1856 Canning’s government passed the General Service Enlistment Act which decreed that all
future recruits for the Bengal army would have to give an undertaking to serve anywhere their
service might be required by the Government. The Act did not affect old incumbent, but was
unpopular because service in the Bengal army was usually hereditary. Moreover, those soldiers
who had been sent in the army of invasion of Afghanistan during 1839-42 had been sent in the
army of invasion of Afghanistan during 1839–42 had not been taken back in the folds of the caste.
Sepoys declared unfit for foreign service were not allowed to retired with pension, but were to be
posted for duty at cantonments.
The privilege of free postage so long enjoyed by the sepoys was withdrawn with the passing of the
Post Office Act of 1854 Besides, the disparity in numbers between European and Indian troops
had lately been growing greater. In 1856, the Company’s army consisted of 238,000 native and
45,322 British soldiers. This disproportion was rendered more serious by the deficiency of good

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