Gurgaon rose up, and paid the price
The Millennium City is variously known as a party capital, tech and auto hub, ‘Singapore of Haryana’ and home to luxury realty and among the biggest malls in the country. However, its history and heritage lies forgotten. As the country commemorates the first battle of Independence, Gurugram awaits its story of valour to be told. Gurugram was a British cantonment during the time and the post of collector and district magistrate was held by W Ford of the Bengal Civil Service. After the uprising in Meerut, there was an outcry in Gurgaon, too.
On May 12, 1857, over 300 sepoys set off on foot from Delhi to Gurgaon. Ford made an unsuccessful attempt to nab them in the adjoining village of Bijwasan. Soon after landing in Gurgaon, the revolutionaries attacked the district administration office, plundered bank accounts, set British homes on fire, destroyed records of moneylenders and released prisoners locked up in jail.
However, despite their offensive, and what seemed like victory, it was but a lost battle. Gurgaon was wiped out following the ‘revolt’. Reports say over 400 persons were killed.
“The people of Gurgaon rose up (13 May, 1857), and destroyed all vestiges of British rule from their district. The flames of rebellion flared up in the most virulent form in Mewat, Ahirwal and Brija regions under the inspiring leadership of Sadruddin, Rao Tula Ram and Raja Nahar Singh, respectively. The people of Farrukhnagar were led by their Nawab Ahmed Ali Khan” — reads an excerpt from ‘Roll of Honour: Haryana’s Martyrs of 1857’, a book by historian KC Yadav.
The book records that Gurgaon saw 474 persons killed — of whom 328 could be identified — and the destruction of nine villages in the district. In the aftermath of the offensive, the city bore the brunt as the British stopped any further development in the area.
The first Gurgaon District Gazetteer (printed in 1883-84) states, “The station of Gurgaon became the administrative headquarters of the District, consisting of public offices, the dwellings of Sadar Bazar and the settlement of Jacombpura, which was laid out by a former Deputy Commissioner, Mr. Jacomb, in 1861, for the accommodation of government servants”. It further mentions that “at the turn of the twentieth century Gurgaon continued to be lacking in terms of developments as the British government were not in favour of its development after 1857”.
Beginning of the end: The Battle of Narnaul
A quaint village in the non descript district of Narnaul, Nasibpur hit the headlines recently when a local MLA demanded the building of an 1857 war memorial. The battle of Narnaul or Nasibpur was one of the most ferocious battles in the first war of Independence.
Abdur Rahman, the Nawab of Jhajjar; Rao Tula Ram, the king of Rewari; Ahir leader Pran Sukh Yadav; Kushal Singh of Auwa; Kishan Singh of Nangal; and General Abdus Samad Khan came together to launch the offensive against the British.
After the fall of Delhi on September 20, the British moved to eliminate the pockets of resistance in northern and western India, including Haryana. They deployed infantry and artillery columns, called the Sahibbas, but faced opposition from the patriots at Narnaul. It was in this battle that the British lost 2,000 soldiers and their commanders Colonel Gerrard and Captain Wallace. Around 5,000 British soldiers and officers Captain Craige, Captain Kennedy and Captain Pearse were wounded. After the initial setbacks, the British consolidated their position and crushed the resistance. Abdur Rahman, along with several co-patriots, was martyred, but Rao Tula Ram, Rao Gopal Dev and Samad Khan managed to escape.
The battle marked the “beginning of the end” of the crucial period of the struggle in the Haryana region and north-west Rajasthan.
