The Punjabis had mixed reactions to the revolt of 1857. The Indian soldiers in some cantonments of Punjab faced the British army bravely, but some rulers of Punjab states sided with the British. As a result, The revolt of 1857 in Punjab could not succeed.
A brief description of the role of the Punjabis in the revolt of 1857 is as under:
1. Revolt by Soldiers: The uprising started on 10th May 1857 at Meerut. The news about the revolt reached Lahore on May 12th, 1857. Indian soldiers (called sepoys) at Mian Mir cantonment (near Lahore) were disarmed as there was danger of the spread of revolt in Punjab. After this, the Indian soldiers in the cantonments of Peshawar, Naushehra, Multan, Ambala, Jalandhar, Rawalpindi, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, and Derajat were disarmed. Even then the soldiers in the eastern region revolted. The army created some disturbances at Jalandhar, Phillaur, Jhelum, and Thaneshwar. Hindustani and Punjabi soldiers revolted in other important cantonments also. Some soldiers killed their commanders.
2. Revolt by Common people: In view of the deteriorating condition of the British Government, the common people also revolted at several places. For example, people at Sialkot and Sirsa co-operated with the Indian soldiers. Besides, the Muslim tribals of Montgomery, Multan, Bahawalpur, and Fazilka also joined the revolt. Similarly, Punjabis rose in an open revolt at Karnal, Rohtak, and Rewari. Some jats of Karnal refused to pay the land tax to the British.
3. Revolt by Sardar Ahmed Khan Kharal: Ahmed Khan Kharal was the chief of a tribe. He refused to pay tax to the government and ro#e in revolt against it. Some tribals living on the banks of Ravi sided with him. He fought against the English at some other places also and killed the British soldiers and officers. Ultimately, he died while fighting the British near Pakpattan.