Saragarhi Day – September 12
Following is my humble tribute to the gallant soldiers of the 36th Sikhs who are now the 4th battalion of the Indian army’s sikh regiment. They performed their duty with honour and sacrificed their lives instead of surrendering to their enemy. Their courageous deed will be remembered by the future generations and they will remain unforgettable even with the passage of time.
Twenty-one soldiers of the 36th Sikhs were defending a small signalling fortress named Saragarhi. This fort was strategically located on top of a hill and allowed communication between two larger and well garrisoned forts called Fort Lockhart and Fort Gulisthan.
The natives living in the disputed region of north-west frontier province of pre-independent Indian sub-continent were determined to free their homeland from the encroaching British influence in their territory by first taking over this small fortress and subsequently cutting off communications between the two main forts in the mountainous terrain. The tribals knew that without any means of communications, the British could be easily defeated and driven out of their homeland.
On the morning of September 12th close to 10,000 orakzai and afridi pashtun tribesmen attacked the fortress of Saragarhi and ordered the Sikhs to vacate it. They threatened the Sikhs of imminent slaughter if they failed to comply with their demands.
The Sikh soldiers, unequivocally decided to defend their fort and uphold their honour and fulfill their duty to their illustrious regiment. Since the start of the attack on the morning of 12th, until late afternoon, the Sikhs were able to ward off waves of incoming tribesmen who were zealously determined to capture the fort.
Having fought tirelessly for hours, the Sikhs were eventually outnumbered and in spite of their superior military training, modern firearms and discipline, the tribesmen were able to penetrate the fortress and overpowered the defenders. The events of the battle were signalled to the main British fort by a signalman at the scene of the carnage. Eventually when the last soldier fell, he rushed. into the thick of the battle and died fighting like his brave comrades. Before succumbing to their formidable adversaries, the Sikhs were able to kill more than 150 Pathans.
The victorious tribesmen were able to hold the fort for a brief period until reinforcements of the Indian army arrived and drove away the indigenous men from the strategic fort, which was by then reduced to a rubble. Numerous soldiers of the 36th Sikh regiment lost their lives or were wounded during these battles which was named as the Samana campaign to suppress the uprising of local populace of the area.
During this period, Indians were ineligible to receive the Victoria Cross and they were instead awarded the Indian order of merit (IOM) for conspicuous bravery. Also, this medal was not given to soldiers who died in the battle.
When Queen Victoria learnt about this unparalleled battle, she made an exception and gave express orders to grant posthumous IOMs to the families of the brave twenty one Sikh soldiers who gave their lives for their Queen and country. The next of kin of these soldiers were given land grants along with pensions, however a physical medal was not handed over to them.
The government granted Saragarhi as the battle of honour to the 36th Sikh regiment in March 1900 and an order was issued authorizing the regiment to bear upon its colours and appointments, the honorary distinctions specified following in commemoration of its gallant conduct and distinguished services during the operations of the north-west frontier of India during 1897 – 1898. Soldiers who took part during these campaigns were awarded the ‘Indian Medal’ with the three clasps of punjab frontier, samana, and tirah.
The names of 21 solders recognized for the IOM are:
Hawalder Ishar Singh
Naik Lal Singh
Lance Naik Chanda Singh
Sepoy Sundar Ssingh
Sepoy Uttam Singh
Sepoy Hira Singh
Sepoy Bhola Singh
Sepoy Narayan Singh
Sepoy Jiwan Singh
Sepoy Ram Singh
Sepoy Bhagwan Singh
Sepoy Jiwan Singh
Sepoy Sahib Singh
Sepoy Sahib Singh
Sepoy Daya Singh
Sepoy Jiwan Singh
Sepoy Gurmukh Singh
Sepoy Gurmukh Singh
Sepoy Bhagwan Singh
Sepoy Buta Singh
Sepoy Nand Singh
Written By: Gurmeet Singh Sandhu
Source:
Saragarhi Battalion – Ashes to Glory by Col. Kanwaljit Singh and Major H S Ahluwalia
Saragarhi and the Defence of the Samana Forts by Capt. Amarinder Singh
