Revolt That Lit The Fire Of Freedom

They defied the begum and the British to establish a parallel government, only to be brutally killed. But the sacrifice of the 356 rebel sepoys of the Bhopal contingent remains all but forgotten

- Sravani Sarkar

A massive neem tree amid a maize field acts as the only signpost. If not for the tree, one would miss the spot where a massacre took place in early 1858.

We are at Saikdakhedi in Sehore, 40km from Bhopal and about 1km from the busy Bhopal-Indore highway. River Siwan flows close by. The neem tree on Sainik Chawni (cantonment) ground is said to mark the spot where 149 of 356 rebel sepoys of the Bhopal Contingent Force—a joint force raised by erstwhile Bhopal nawabs and the British—were killed by the British on January 14, 1858; the rest were killed in different spots on the ground. As per local lore, the bodies of the sepoys were hung by the tree and later dumped in a common grave.

It is only when one nears the neem tree that the concrete structures become visible. There is a newly built boundary wall that runs along just two sides of the 10-acre plot, a slightly older pavilion-like memorial structure under the tree, and a much older whitewashed tomb. The tomb, which probably marks the grave, is almost buried under a heap of dumped irrigation pipes.

The 10 acres were earmarked for the memorial thanks to Smarak Nirman Samiti, Sipahi Bahadur Sarkar, a citizens’ organisation. Anand Gandhi, 39, general secretary of the Samiti, is saddened by what he sees. The tomb is littered with dried leaves and other refuse. A buffalo is tied nearby. He removes some of the pipes and, picking up a dried branch, sweeps the tomb clean. He, along with the organisation president Omdeep Singh, 80, and social worker Jayant Shah, 57, silently pay homage to the martyrs with folded hands. “You would not imagine this is such an important spot, right?” asked Gandhi.