Born: 19th July 1827
Died: 8th April 1857
Shri Mangal Pandey was born on 19th July 1827, in Akbarpur. He belongs to a high-caste Brahman family having strong Hindu beliefs. Pandey joined the British East India Company Army in 1849, at the age of 18 years. He was made a sepoy (soldier) in the 6th Company of the 34th Bengal Native Infantry, having a large number of Brahmans. Pandey was ambitious and observed his job as a sepoy as a step to future success. He was the first Indian soldier to attack British officers on 29th March 1857, which was the first major incident to spark the Indian or Sepoy Mutiny, often called the First War of Independence.
Mangal Pandey started his revolt after the introduction of a new weapon for the troops, by East India Company- ‘the Enfield rifled musket’. Its cartridges were greased with animal fat, either cow or pig. It was during the mid-1850s when Mangal Pandey was posted at the garrison, Barrackpore. The cartridges were a source of great dissatisfaction as the troops had to bite them off before using them. It was against the religious beliefs of all the Indian soldiers and provoked them, which led to a mass revolt against the British Rulers. Soon the revolt reached the common people and was opposed by each and every corner of the country. Finally the British were forced to restructure the army and introduce new rules through the passage of the Government of India Act 1858. On March 29th, 1857, Pandey attempted to encourage his fellows to rebel against the British officers, and attacked two of their officers, after having been caught he tried to shoot himself, and eventually was arrested. Pandey was soon sentenced to death. His hanging (execution) was planned for 18th April 1857, but due to the fear of the outbreak British authorities moved the date to 8th April 1857, Barrackpore. Therefore, resistance to the use of Enfield cartridges led to the outbreak of a huge revolt in Meerut. Swami Vivekanand Subharti University remembers the great Mangal Pandey for his courage, sacrifice and the spark that led us to our freedom.
