Saragarhi: Battle of exceptional valour...

12th September marks the anniversary of the Battle of Saragarhi which is regarded as one of the most heroic fight waged by a small group of 21 Sikh soldiers who stood their ground against a huge army of 10,000 tribal warriors for seven hours. The author has specialization in Afghanistan where he was posted as Prasar Bharti’s special correspondent. He has provided a detailed background to the Saragarhi battle which is taught as case study in the military schools across the world.

The province of Peshawar has been a part of Afghanistan since the days of Emperor Kanishka. The Afghans consider Kanishka as their great King whose rule is considered as the golden period of Afghanistan. His empire extended from the Caspian Sea in Central Asia right up to Bengal. His capital was in Kapisa, about 40 kms north of Kabul.Peshawar was his Winter Capital and Mathura, his Eastern Capital.

The main source of Kanishka's wealth was the control over the Silk Route passing through his empire. He charged the protection money from the trade caravans moving between the two great empires of the time- the Roman Empire and the Chinese Empire.

The Mauryan Empire under Ashoka also included Afghanistan.

Under the Mughals, Afghanistan was part of their expanded territory.

 Since the Afghans viewed Peshawar as their territory, they continued raiding the area from time to time. Within Afghanistan, the peace was not established since the downfall of the Durrani tribe of Ahmad Shah Durrani(Abdali). The Barakzai tribe marginalized the Durranis.

In Punjab, Maharaja Ranjit Singh established a strong Sikh Empire. To stop the invasions from North through the Khyber Pass, he captured Peshawar. The Afghan King, Dost Mohammad, continued to help and instigate the Pushtun(Pathans) tribes against the Sikhs. The Sikh general  Hari Singh Nalwa subjugated the Pushtun tribes with a heavy hand and completely sealed the Khyber Pass. He died fighting in one of the raids by Afghans at Jamraud.

On the collapse of the Sikh Empire after the death of Ranjit Singh, the British annexed it after the First Anglo-Sikh War in 1849. That is how Peshawar, what they called the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), became a part of India. But the Afghans never accepted the British control over Peshawar province.

The British wanted to have the Afghanistan under their influence to checkmate the Russian influence in the region. They feared a threat from the Russians,and a great diplomatic race, known as the GreatGame  continued in Afghanistan. To keep Afghanistan as a buffer between them and the Russians, the British fought 3 Anglo- Afghan Wars. All three ventures resulted in disasters.

Ultimately, they signed a treaty with the Afghans in 1893 in which they forced the Afghans to accept the Durand Line as border. The Durand Line is drawn on the map and only roughly delineated on the ground.  It was supposed to be the respective areas of influence of the two parties.

The Line divides the population of Pashtuns into two, which the British aimed at.

Till today the Afghans have not ratified the line as a border. They continued fighting for a single entity Pushtunistan, they still continue their struggle. The SarhaddiGandhi Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan kept the fight on till his death.

Saragarhi

Regarding the Battle of Saragarhi, even after the 1893 Durand Line Agreement, the Kabul regime continued to support the tribal insurgents against the British in a proxy war.

After the annexation of Ranjit Singh’s Sikh Empire, the British incorporated a large number of Sikh soldiers into their army, leading to the formation of the 36th Sikh Regiment. A company of just 21 Sikh soldiers from the 36th Sikh Regiment was deployed at the small Saragarhi post, which served as a communication post between two British forts.

The Pashtun tribes, Afridi and Orakzai, aided by the Amir of Kabul, considered Saragarhi to be a weak link. About 10,000 tribesmen surrounded the post and demanded the Sikhs surrender. However, the Sikhs, led by Havildar Ishar Singh, chose to fight. They fought valiantly to the last man, the last bullet, and the last drop of their blood.

Despite orders to abandon the post, they stood their ground. The battle was meticulously documented by the signalman, Gurmukh Singh, who was the last to fall. He recorded the names of all those killed, in chronological order, writing his own name last.

As the battle drew to a close, British reinforcements arrived, causing the tribesmen to flee. All 21 Sikhs were posthumously awarded the Indian Order of Merit, which was considered equivalent to the Victoria Cross.

The Battle of Saragarhi is often compared to the Battle of Thermopylae, where 300 Spartans fought to the death, and it is taught in military academies worldwide. The Bollywood movie “Kesari” and a TV series were loosely based on this historic event.