The 1857 mutiny is widely believed to be the first war of Indian independence.
Bhai Maharaj Singh led the first war of independence in 1849, claims SGPC | Reuters
Wrong, says Prof Kripal Singh Badungar, president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. According to him, the first freedom fighter was Bhai Maharaj Singh, who started his struggle to overthrow the British, in 1849—when India was under East India Company raj. The British ruled India from 1858 to 1947.
A freshly written version of the history of Punjab will be the first to mention Bhai Maharaj Singh as the “soldier” who led the first war of Indian Independence, way before the sepoys mutinies.
To be rewritten by a panel of the SGPC, the new version of Punjab's history, according to Badungar, will correct many distortions on the role of Sikhs, particularly in the context of the Cellular Jail in Andaman, infamous as Kala Pani.
The panel will visit the Cellular Jail and meet the authorities concerned. The SGPC president shared his views on the misrepresentation of Sikh contribution to the freedom struggle at a Sunday seminar on “The Role of Sikhs in the Freedom Struggle”.
Badungar maintained that the contribution of the Gurus who took on the rulers was “unparalleled and unprecedented”, but had not got due recognition in history, nor had their contribution to the cause of humanity.