Remembering Saragarhi : A Tale of the finest warriors

 

 

    The Battle of Saragarhi was a historic last stand fought between 21 Sikh Punjabi soldiers of the 36th Sikhs Regiment of the British Indian Army and over 10,000 vicious pathan (orakzai & afridi) tribesmen on September 12, 1897. The battle took place in the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) during the Tirah Campaign of the Anglo Afghan Wars. In the late 19th century, the British Indian Army was expanding its control over the north-western region of India, which was inhabited by various pathan tribes. These tribes were known for their fierce resistance to foreign rule, and the British faced a number of rebellions and uprisings in the region. In August 1897, five companies of the 36th Sikhs regiment under Lieutenant Colonel John Haughton were sent to the northwest frontier province (NWFP) of British India and were stationed at Samana Hills, Kurag, Sangar, Sahtop Dhar, and Saragarhi. In 1897, a large-scale uprising erupted in the tribal areas, which led to a military campaign to suppress it. The campaign was known as the Tirah Expedition.

 

     A detachment of 21 soldiers from the 36th Sikhs Regiment was stationed at a small outpost called Saragarhi, which was located between the British forts of Lockhart and Gulistan. The outpost was situated on a rocky ridge overlooking the Samana Range, and its primary purpose was to provide communication between the two forts. However, it also served as a strategic location for observing and intercepting the movements of the Pathan tribesmen.

 

 
    In the morning of 12 September 1897,  a force of over 10,000 pathan tribesmen attacked the Saragarhi outpost. The soldiers at Saragarhi, led by Havildar Ishar Singh, immediately took up defensive positions and began firing on the tribesmen. Despite being heavily outnumbered, the soldiers managed to hold off the attackers for several hours. The battle raged on throughout the day, with the soldiers repeatedly repelling wave after wave of pathan attacks and thwarted two fierce attacks by pathans. Sepoy Bhagwan Singh was the first soldier to fall and Naik Lal Singh was seriously wounded in the attack.  In spite of their numerical superiority and better weapons, pathans only managed to break a portion of the wall of the picket.  

 

    The Pathan leaders intimidated and asked the soldiers for their surrender in exchange for their lives, tiny detachment of 36th Sikhs was outnumbered by more than 500 to 1. Undaunted by these overwhelming odds, the Sikh soldiers refused to surrender and continued to fight until the very end  The pathan tribesmen tried to set fire to the outpost and also made two attempts to force open the gate but they were repulsed with heavy loses by the soldiers. After several assaults pathan tribesmen finally breached the outer wall of the outpost.  

    Havildar Ishar Singh rallied his men and led a charge against the pathans. The soldiers fought with bayonets and swords, it was one of the fiercest hand to hand fighting which occurred, Havildar Ishar Singh commanded his remaining men to retreat into the inner layer while he stayed behind to cover their withdrawal. After fierce battle the inner circle was finally breached but by then hundreds of pathans were killed by the defending soldiers, After the breach all but one of the defending soldiers fell. Though the Sikh soldiers fought with great courage and determination. but ultimately, they were overwhelmed by the sheer number of attackers, yet they managed to inflict heavy casualties on the Pathans.  

 

 

    The last defender was Sepoy Gurmukh Singh, who served as signalman and communicated the battle to Lieutenant Colonel John Haughton. In his last massage he asked for permission to pick up his rifle. Upon receiving permission he packed up the heliograph and held the door of his signalling shed. He fought valiantly and killed 40 pathans in ensuing battle, the pahtans were forced to set fire to the post in order to kill him.

 

    More then 600 pathans were killed and many more were injured during the battle. In the end, all 21 valiant Punjabi Sikh soldiers were martyred in the battle, but they succeeded in holding off the enemy long enough to allow reinforcements to arrive at Fort Gulistan.

 

    The Battle of Saragarhi is a testament to the values of courage, bravery, and sacrifice. The soldier's heroism in the face of overwhelming odds serves as an inspiration to all those who seek to serve their country with courage and dedication. The Battle of Saragarhi will forever be remembered as one of the greatest last stands in military history.