Sepoy Mutiny - Revolt of 1857 | Mangal Pandey | History of India | Educational Videos by Mocomi Kids

During the British Raj, there was unrest and discontent amongst the people of India. The Hindu soldiers protested against the addition of Gurkha, Sikh and lower caste soldiers to their ranks. The use of animal grease on the cartridges of the newly introduced Enfield rifles was the last straw. While loading the rifles, soldiers had to bite off the end of the cartridges. It was made up of either pig or cow fat which violated the religious sentiments of the Muslim and Hindu soldiers. In 1857, three regiments of the army refused to use the ammunition of the Enfield rifles and demanded that Bahadur Shah Zafar take over as the ruler of India and the head of the rebels. Mangal Pandey is one of the most famous figures of this uprising who attacked the British regiment. He was later arrested and hanged. This uprising came to be known as the Sepoy Mutiny or the Revolt of 1857. Soon after, another regiment revolted. 90,000 men from the Bengal army joined the mutiny. After suffering major losses in Kanpur and Lucknow, the British sought the help of the loyal Sikh and Gurkha forces and managed to ward off the army of rebels near Delhi. In response to the mutiny, the British Parliament passed an act abolishing the East India Company. India became a crown colony to be governed by the British Parliament directly. In the following year, the title of Viceroy was bestowed upon the Governor-General of India by Queen Victoria. She introduced a policy of divide and rule which prevented Indians from uniting to rebel against her.