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During 1857 Sepoy mutiny the Moghul emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar was arrested by
1. William Hodson
2. John Nicholson
3. Sir Hugh Rose
4. Colin Campbell

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Correct Answer - Option 1 : William Hodson

The correct answer is William Hodson.

  • During the 1857 Sepoy mutiny, the Moghul emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar was arrested by Major William Hodson.

  • Bahadur Shah II, better known as Bahadur Shah Zafar, was crowned the emperor of Delhi on 28 September 1837.
    • The Sepoy Mutiny broke out in 1857 and the sepoys rallied around the emperor.
    • Although he was practically powerless, the rebels rallied around him and he was made the figurehead of the rebellion.
    • Major William Hodson arrested him on 20 September 1857.
    • He was tried at the Red Fort.
    • The trial concluded on 9 March 1858 and he was sentenced to be deported on account of his involvement in the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857.
    • He was deported to Burma where he died in 1862

  • The Revolt of 1857 was a widespread but unsuccessful rebellion against the rule of the British East India Company in India.
    • It was the first expression of organized resistance against the British East India Company.
    • It started merely as a revolt of the sepoys of the British East India Company’s army but eventually spread to the masses.
    • It is known by several names: the Sepoy Mutiny, the Indian Mutiny, the Great Rebellion, the Revolt of 1857, the Indian Insurrection, and the First War of Independence.
  • Causes:
    • The British policy of expansion through the Doctrine of Lapse and direct annexation.
      • The doctrine of Lapse was first perpetrated by Lord Dalhousie in the late 1840s.
        • It involved the British prohibiting a Hindu ruler without a natural heir from adopting a successor and, after the ruler died or abdicated, annexing his land.
        • Rani Lakshmi Bai’s adopted son was not permitted to sit on the throne of Jhansi.
        • Satara, Nagpur, and Jhansi were annexed under the Doctrine of Lapse.
        • Jaitpur, Sambalpur, and Udaipur were also annexed.
        • The annexation of Awadh by Lord Dalhousie on the pretext of maladministration.
    • The continued and rapid spread of Western Civilisation in India.
      • An act in 1850 changed the Hindu law of inheritance enabling a Hindu who had converted to Christianity to inherit his ancestral properties.
      • It convinced people that the Government was planning to convert Indians to Christianity.
    • The introduction of western education challenged the orthodoxy of Indians.
    • Social reforms like the abolition of practices like Sati and female infanticide, and the legislation legalizing widow remarriage, were believed as threats to the established social structure.
    • In rural areas, peasants and zamindars were infuriated by the heavy taxes on land and the stringent methods of revenue collection.
    • Indian sepoys formed more than 87% of the British troops in India but were considered inferior to British soldiers.
      • An Indian sepoy was paid less than a European sepoy of the same rank.
    • In 1856 Lord Canning issued the General Services Enlistment Act which required that the sepoys must be ready to serve even in British land across the sea.
    • Large numbers of sepoys belonged to the peasantry class and had family ties in villages, so the grievances of the peasants also affected them.
    • The immediate cause was the incident of greased cartridges.
      • A rumor spread that the cartridges of the new Enfield rifles were greased with the fat of cows and pigs.
      • Before loading these rifles the sepoys had to bite off the paper on the cartridges.
      • Both Hindu and Muslim sepoys refused to use them.
      • In March 1857, Mangal Pandey, a sepoy in Barrackpore, had refused to use the cartridge and attacked his senior officers.
      • He was hanged to death on 8th April.
      • Soldiers in Meerut refused to use the new rifle on May 9th, 1857.
      • They were sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment.
  • Centres and leaders of the Revolt:
    • Lucknow- It was the capital of Awadh and the revolt was led by Begum Hazrat Mahal.
    • Kanpur- The revolt was led by Nana Saheb, the adopted son of Peshwa Baji Rao II.
    • Jhansi- Rani Lakshmi Bai led the revolt in Jhansi.
      • She fought gallantly against the British forces but was ultimately defeated by the English.
      • She escaped and was joined by Tantia Tope and together they captured Gwalior.
      • She was killed fighting in Gwalior.
    • Bihar- The revolt was led by Kunwar Singh.
    • The Revolt of 1857 lasted for more than a year.
    • It was suppressed by the middle of 1858.
    • Lord Canning proclaimed peace on 8 July 1858.
  • Reasons for failure:
    • A large part of the country remained unaffected by it.
      • The large princely states, Hyderabad, Mysore, Travancore, and Kashmir, as well as the smaller ones of Rajputana, did not join the rebellion.
      • The southern provinces did not take part in it.
    • There was a lack of effective leadership.
    • The rebels lacked resources in terms of men and money.
    • The English-educated middle class, the rich merchants, traders, and zamindars of Bengal helped the British to suppress the revolt.
  • Results of the Revolt:
    • The revolt marked the end of the East India Company’s rule in India.
    • India now came under the direct rule of the British Crown.
      • The Indian administration was taken over by Queen Victoria, which, in effect, meant the British Parliament.
    • There was more religious tolerance and due attention was paid to the customs and traditions of India.
    • The Governor General’s office was replaced by that of the Viceroy.
    • The Doctrine of Lapse was abolished.
    • The right to adopt sons as legal heirs were accepted.
    • The ratio of British officers to Indian soldiers increased.
    • Though the revolt failed to achieve the desired goal, it sowed the seeds of Indian nationalism.

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