History & Civics
How did the introduction of Greased Cartridges become an immediate cause of the War of Independence in 1857.
Answer
The cartridges to be used for the Enfield rifles were greased with the fat of cows and pigs. The loading process of the Enfield rifle involved bringing the cartridge to the mouth and biting off the top greased paper with the teeth. The cow is sacred for the Hindus and the Muslims consider pigs as unclean. The information about the greased cartridges spread like wild fire. The whole Bengal army was seized with panic. The soldiers refused to use these cartridges and staged an uprising when they were forced to use them.
Related Questions
Read the excerpt given below and answer the questions that follow:
These rebels of Delhi must be made an example to all their countrymen for ages to come of the consequences of such crimes, at the same time that every possible precaution is taken to do away with all temptation or provocation to future offences of a similar character.
— The Guardian, Manchester, June 30, 1857(a) Who are referred to as 'rebels of Delhi' in the excerpt above? When did they rebel and where?
(b) What was the temptation or provocation being talked about in the excerpt?
(c) What were the consequences of their alleged 'crimes”?
(A) The British policy of territorial expansion and gradual annexation of the native Indian States was one of the major grievances of the Indian rulers.
(R) Some States were brought under British control without actually being annexed.
- (R) contradicts (A)
- (R) is the reason for (A)
- (A) is true but (R) is false
- (A) and (R) are independent of each other
Which was the first kingdom to sign the Subsidiary Alliance?
- Mysore
- Awadh
- Maratha
- Jhansi
(A) The British introduced modern innovations like railways and telegraph in India in the mid-19th century.
(R) The British introduced these innovations to modernise India.
- (R) contradicts (A)
- (R) is the reason for (A)
- (A) is true but (R) is false
- (A) and (R) are independent of each other