This day 167 years ago, British killed almost 800 people in Hisar

Tribune News Service

Hisar, August 19

Hisar town witnessed the bloodiest day in its history on August 19, 1857. The town which had become one of the main centres of the revolutionaries during the First War of Independence had to pay a heavy price for revolting against the British.

Its residents had enjoyed self-rule for 83 days as the local revolutionaries had declared Hisar independent of the British on May 29 that year.

Mahender Singh, professor of history at the local DN College, who has written books on the modern history of Haryana, says it was the bloodiest day for Hisar when as many as 796 people were killed by the British. The killings took place at two places, including the Nagori Gate, one of the gates of the Hisar fort.

The persecution of the revolutionaries continued for months by the British government which not only resorted to violence to crush those who had participated in the mutiny but also economically broke the backbone of those living in Hisar and adjoining villages.

Quoting Haryana Archives Department documents and his research compiled in a book, ‘Haryana in 1857’, Singh says the British had decided to reclaim Hisar and Hansi which were in the possession of the revolutionaries.

Both sides chalked out their strategies and a battle was imminent. The British led by General Van Cortland, the deputy collector of Ferozepur, took control of the situation in the Hisar fort. Reinforcements were called in from Horse Force in Tohana and the 'riyasats' of Bikaner, Patiala and Kashmir.

Singh says Mohammad Azam led the revolutionaries while the financial support was gathered by Sahbaz Beg, who was an administrator before joining the revolutionaries. Three prominent figures of Hisar, Gurbaksh Singh, Hukam Chand Jain and Muneer Beg, collected the resources and manpower from nearby villages.

The Indian side which had around 10,000 people carrying only lathis and sharp-edged farm implements, attacked the Hisar fort which had the British soldiers inside. However, they could not breach the gates of the fort.

The British laced with firearms surrounded the revolutionaries from the Delhi Gate and Talaki Gate. By the evening, 435 people were killed at the Nagori Gate and the bodies of 238 people were found scattered in the town.

The British soldiers captured 123 revolutionaries and took them to the road near the Nagori Gate. “They were told to lie down on the road and road rollers were run over them. Before running the road rollers, they were asked to put a thumb impression on the register following which they would be allowed to go. But none of them got up. All 123 people were crushed under the road rollers,” Singh says.

The leading villages which participated in the battle included Khara Barwala, Sulkhani, Kharar Alipur, Batol, Mangali, Chaudhariwas, Hazimpur, Jamalpur, Puthi Mangal Khan and Rohnat.

Singh says the British government auctioned the land of Hazimpur, Jamalpur, Mangali, Puthi Mangal Khan and Rohtat villages to financially cripple the residents.  The British then moved towards Delhi and recaptured the Delhi Sultanate on September 20.