Question

The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. With reference to this, answer the following question:

The India army was reorganised after 1858, to prevent the reoccurrence of another uprising. Analyse this statement by stating any four changes made in the army after the Revolt.

Answer 1

1. The strength of European troops in India was increased. The ratio of European to Indian troops was fixed at 1 : 2 (Bengal army) and 2 : 5 (Madras and Bombay armies). Practically the same ratio was maintained till the First World War. The general principle adopted was that the number of Indian sepoys should not exceed twice that of the European troops.
2. European troops were kept in key geographical and military positions.
3. To desist the Indian soldiers from rising again against British rule, the sophisticated weapons and ammunition were never placed under the charge of Indians. All Indian artillery units, with the exception of a few mountain units, were disbanded.
4. Discrimination on the basis of caste, region and religion was practised in the recruitment to the army.
5. In order to discourage nationalism, measures such as the introduction of caste and community in most regiments were taken.
6. Newspapers, journals and nationalist publications were prevented from reaching the soldiers to keep the Indian army separated from the life of the rest of the population.