INTRODUCTION
Saragarhi is the incredible story of 21 men of the 36th Sikh
Regiment (currently the 4th Sikh Regiment) who gave up their lives
in devotion to their duty. In keeping with the tradition of the Indian
Army, they fought to the death rather than surrender. The Battle at
Saragarhi is one of eight stories of collective bravery published
by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).
It has been mentioned as one of the five most significant events of
its kind in the world which includes the Saga of Thermoplyae associated
with the heroic stand of a small Greek force against the mighty Persian
Army of Xerxes in 480 B.C.
THE BATTLE
The British colonial rulers had constructed a series of
forts to control the NWFP (North West Frontier Province - today
a state in Pakistan) and to provide security to troops against marauding
tribesmen and their lashkars (large body of troops). Most of these
forts had initially been built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh as part
of the consolidation of the Sikh empire in Punjab and the British
added some more. The British had only partially succeeded in gaining
control over this region, consequently, skirmishes and sometimes
serious fights with the tribals were a frequent occurrence. However,
the NWFP was a good training ground for the Indian Army to hone
its skills and techniques.
Two such forts on the Samana ridge of the Hindukush & Sulaiman
ranges that is Fort Lockhart and Fort Gulistan were a few miles
apart. Since these forts were not inter-visible, a signalling relay
post called Saragarhi was located mid-way on a bluff to provide
heliographic communications between them. This post or picket had
been fortified to provide safety and protection to the signalling
detachment. In 1897 there was a general uprising in the NWFP engineered
by Afghans as part of their policy, which came to be known as the
'prickly heat policy' to direct the wrath of the tribals against
the British. In this uprising, Mullahs (Muslim religious leaders)
played a prominent role. It was the duty of the 36th Sikh to occupy
Gulistan and Lockhart forts. On 3rd and 9th September 1897, Orakazai
and Afridi lashkars attacked Fort Gulistan. On both occasion the
attacks were beaten back. A relief column was sent from the fort
to assist in beating back these attacks.
The relief column from Lockhart on the return trip reinforced
the signalling detachment at Saragarhi making its strength to 1
NCO (Non-Commissioned Officer) and 20 ORs (Other Ranks). In a renewed
effort, on 12 September 1897, hordes of tribesmen laid siege to
Fort Lockhart and Saragarhi, with the aim of overrunning the latter
and at the same time preventing any help from the former. The Commanding
Officer of 36th Sikh, Lt. Col. Haughton, was at Fort Lockhart and
was in communication with the Saragarhi post through helicograph.
The defenders of Saragarhi under the indomitable and inspiring leadership
of their detachment commander, Havildar Ishar Singh, resolved to
defend their post in the best tradition of their race and regiment.
They were not there to hand over the post to the enemy and seek
safety elsewhere. Havildar Singh and his men knew well that the
post would fall, because a handful of men in that make-shift fort
of stones & mud walls with a wooden door could not stand the
onslaught of thousands of tribesmen. These plucky men knew that
they will go down but they had resolved to do so fighting to the
last.

The Saragarhi
post after the Battle
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From Fort Lockhart, troops and the Commanding Officer could count
at least 14 standards and that gave an idea of the number of tribes
and their massed strength against the Saragarhi relay post (estimated
at between 10,000 to 12,000 tribals). From early morning the tribals
started battering the fort. The Sikhs fought back valiantly. Charge
after charge was repulsed by the men of the 36th Sikh. The tribal
leaders started to make tempting promises so that the Sikhs would
surrender. But Havildar Singh and his men ignored them. For quite
some time, the troops held their own against the determined and
repeated attacks by the wild and ferocious hordes. A few attempts
were made to send a relief column from Fort Lockhart but these were
foiled by the tribals.
At Saragarhi, the enemy made two determined attempts to rush the
gate of the post and on both occasions the defenders repulsed the
assault. While the enemy suffered heavy casualties, the ranks of
the defenders too kept dwindling as the fire from the attackers
took its toll and their ammunition stocks were depleting. Unmindful
of his safety, Sepoy Gurmukh Singh kept signalling a minute-to-minute
account of the battle from the signal tower in the post to Battalion
HQs. The battle lasted the better part of the day. When repeated
attacks failed, the enemy set fire to the surrounding bushes &
shrubs and two of the tribesmen under cover of smoke, managed to
close in with the post's boundary wall in an area blind to the defender's
observation and rifle fire from the post holes. They succeeded in
making a breach in the wall. This development could be seen from
Fort Lockhart and was flashed to the post.
A few men from those defending the approaches to the gate
were dispatched to deal with the breach in the wall. This diversion
by the enemy and the defenders' reaction resulted in weakening of
the fire covering the gate. The enemy now rushed the gate as well
as the breach. Thereafter, one of the fiercest hand-to-hand fights
followed. One of the Havildar Singh's men, who was seriously wounded
and was profusely bleeding, had taken charge of the guardroom. He
shot four of the enemy as they tried to approach his charge. All
this time, Sepoy Gurmukh Singh continued flashing the details of
the action at the post. Beside this the Commanding Officer of 36th
Sikh and others at Lockhart Fort also saw his unique saga of heroism
and valour unfold at Saragarhi. The battle had come too close for
Sepoy Gurmukh Singh's comfort, so he asked Battalion HQs for permission
to shut down the heliograph and take up his rifle. Permission was
flashed back. He dismounted his heliograph equipment, packed it
in a leather bag, fixed bayonet on his rifle and joined the fight.
From this vantage point in the tower he wrought havoc on the intruders
in the post. He died fighting, but took 20 of the enemy with him.
The tribals set fire to the post, while the brave garrison lay
dead or dying with their ammunition exhausted. Next morning the
relief column reached the post and the tell tale marks of the epic
fight were there for all to see. The tribals later admitted to figure
of 180 dead and many more wounded. This episode when narrated in
the British Parliament, drew from the members a standing ovation
in the memory of the defenders of Saragarhi. The story of the heroic
deeds of these men was also placed before Queen Victoria. The account
was received all over the world with awe and admiration. All the
21 valiant men of this epic battle were awarded the Indian Order
of Merit Class III (posthumously) which at the time was one of the
highest gallantry awards given to Indian troops and is considered
equivalent to the present-day Vir Chakra. All dependants of the
Saragarhi heroes were awarded 50 acres of land and 500 Rupees. Never
before or since has a body of troops - that is, all of them won
gallantry awards in a single action. It is indeed a singularly unique
action in the annals of Indian military history.
Memorial

A tablet
erected in the memory of these brave men.
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"The Government of India
have caused this tablet to be erected to the memory of the twenty
one non-commissioned officers and men of the 36 Sikh Regiment of
the Bengal Infantry whose names are engraved below as a perpetual
record of the heroism shown by these gallant soldiers who died at
their posts in the defence of the fort of Saragarhi, on the 12 September
1897, fighting against overwhelming numbers, thus proving their
loyalty and devotion to their sovereign, the Queen Empress of India,
and gloriously maintaining the reputation of the Sikhs for unflinching
courage on the field of battle."
165 Havildar Ishar Singh
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332 Naik Lal Singh |
834 Sepoy Narayan Singh |
546 Lance Naik Chanda Singh |
814 Sepoy Gurmukh Singh |
1321 Sepoy Sundar Singh |
871 Sepoy Jivan Singh |
287 Sepoy Ram Singh |
1733 Sepoy Gurmukh Singh |
492 Sepoy Uttar Singh |
163 Sepoy Ram Singh |
182 Sepoy Sahib Singh |
1257 Sepoy Bhagwan Singh |
359 Sepoy Hira Singh |
1265 Sepoy Bhagwan Singh |
687 Sepoy Daya Singh |
1556 Sepoy Buta Singh |
760 Sepoy Jivan Singh |
1651 Sepoy Jivan Singh |
791 Sepoy Bhola Singh |
1221 Sepoy Nand Singh |
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