Mangal Pandey, born on 19 July 1827,
in Akbarpur, India, was
an Indian soldier whose attack on British officers on 29 March1857, was the
first major incident of what came to be known as the Indian, or Sepoy,
Mutiny (in India the uprising is often called the First War of
Independence or other similar names).
Pandey was born in a town
near Faizabad in what is now eastern Uttar Pradesh state in northern
India, although some give his birth place as a small village near
Lalitpur (in present-day southwestern Uttar Pradesh). He was from a
high-caste Brahman landowning family that professed strong Hindu
beliefs. Pandey joined the army of the British East India Company in 1849,
some accounts suggesting that he was recruited by a brigade that marched past
him. He was made a soldier (sepoy) in the 6th Company of the 34th Bengal Native
Infantry, which included a large number of Brahmans. Pandey was ambitious and
viewed his profession as a sepoy as a stepping-stone to future success.
Pandey’s career ambitions,
however, came into conflict with his religious beliefs. While he was posted at
the garrison in Barrackpore in the mid-1850s, a new Enfield
rifle was introduced into India that required a soldier to bite off the ends of
greased cartridges in order to load the weapon. A rumour spread that the
lubricant used was either cow or pig lard, which was repugnant to Hindus
or Muslims, respectively. The belief arose among the sepoys that the British
had deliberately used the lard on the cartridges.
There have been various
accounts of the events of March 29, 1857. However, the general agreement is
that Pandey attempted to incite his fellow sepoys to rise up against their
British officers, attacked two of those officers, attempted to shoot himself
after having been restrained, and eventually was overpowered and arrested. Some
contemporary reports suggested that he was under the influence of
drugs—possibly cannabis or opium —and was not fully aware of his actions.
Pandey was soon tried and sentenced to death. His execution (by hanging) was
set for April 18, but British authorities, fearing the outbreak of a
large-scale revolt if they waited until then, moved the date up to April 8.
Resistance to the use of Enfield cartridges later that month in Meerut led
to the outbreak of a revolt there in May and the start of the
larger insurrection.
In India, Pandey has been remembered as a
freedom fighter against British rule. A commemorative postage stamp with his
image on it was issued by the Indian government in 1984. In addition, a movie
and stage play that depicted his life both appeared in 2005.
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