History - 4

The British rule completed one hundred years in 1857. During these hundred years different sections of people were badly affected by the policies of the British government. Economic, social, political and other factors combined together to strike a blow to the British rule.When the atmosphere was surcharged with an anti-British feeling amongst the Indians the episode of greased cartridges provided the spark which turned it into a conflagration.The new 'Enfield Rifle' introduced by the British in the army needed a special type of cartridge which had a greased paper cover.This paper had to be bitten off before the cartridge was loaded into the rifle. The grease used in the paper was made of beef and pig fat.this enraged both the Hindu and the Muslim sepoys. Both the religious communities felt that their religions were at stake. This worked as a spark in the magazine room and the Mutiny began.The idea of having anything which might be tainted with pig or beef fat in their mouths was totally unacceptable to the sepoys, and when they objected it was suggested that they were more than welcome to make up their own batches of cartridges, using a religiously acceptable greasing agent such as ghee or vegetable oil. This seemed to prove that the issued cartridges were, in fact, grease d with pig and/or beef fat

Various repressive measures undertaken by the British authority in India led to the growth of suspicion and hatred towards the British. During the time of Lord Lytton, the Viceroy, certain repressive laws like Vernacular Press Act and Arms Act of 1878 were passed to suppress the Indian mass.By the Vernacular Press Act of 1878 the editors of the Vernacular newspaper were directed to execute a bond not to publish anything in their paper which would excite feelings of dissatisfaction against the Government. But this Act was not to be applicable to the English news papers. It was, of course abolished by Lord Ripon, another Viceroy in 1882.By the Indian Arms Act of 1878,...