Previously, I discussed how the narrative of Punjab especially the Muslims being indifferent to the 1857 War of Independence is based off of propaganda created by the colonial administration of Punjab at the time headed by Sir John Lawrence due to the severity of the situation. The idea here was to discourage further uprisings and why not? Moharumwala, Jhumrah, Muhammadpur, Kore Shah, Chichawatni, Kamalia, Gogirah, Hazara division were some of the places in Western Punjab that saw Muslim rebels cause chaos.

The town of Kamalia changed hands twice, Chichawatni was besieged and only after multiple reinforcements (thrice) were the rebels pushed out. Harappa and its administration was also taken over by the resistance for some time. The road between Lahore and Multan was blocked for a week and Europeans were instructed not to travel freely in Punjab. All of these despite the technological superiority mainly artillery of the British and the fact that Punjab had 12 European regiments posted, the largest in India at the time and for a population of 13 million. Not to forget the nefarious role played by the elders of Makhdooms, Qureshis and other “Gaddi Nasheen” of South Punjab in putting down the revolt. 

However, all was not quiet in Eastern Punjab either as reported by Deputy Commissioner of Amritsar, Fredrick Cooper. Muslim rebels operated under the guise of Fakirs. Messengers from Delhi were directly sent down to coordinate a movement, which put down. The city of Ludhiana in present day Indian Punjab though was the hot bed of revolution in Eastern Punjab.

Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in his 1909 book “Indian War of Independence” states  “In the city, there was a certain Moulvie (Shah Abdul Qadir) who always used to preach to the people to break away from English slavery and establish Swaraj (self rule). On account of the Moulvie’s lectures, this town had become a power centre of the Revolutionary party in the Panjab. When the sign came that the time had come to deal the last blows at the chains of slavery the whole town rose with shouts of Din!”

Maulana Shah Abdul Qadir Ludhianvi was no stranger to rebellious activity as Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner, G.M.  Ricketts writes in Punjab Government Records, Vol III, Mutiny Reports, Part 1 about him “He was a compulsory resident of Loodiana, as in 1849 he was detected in treasonable correspondence with Akhoond of Swat, whom he was secretly furnishing with arms. So, to be under close surveillance he was compelled to remain in the city”  

The Arain Maulana like his Punjabi Muslim contemporary Rai Ahmad Khan Kharral was also in direct contact with Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar and received direct orders from Red Fort, Delhi at the secret head quarters of the Masjid Do Manzili mosque in Muhalla Mochpura in Ludhiana, Punjab.

“the most troublesome man”

Deputy Commissioner Ludhiana, G.M. Ricketts

The arrival of rebel Indian soldiers from Jullundher on June 9th, 1857 culminated in capturing the Fort and Treasury. The fervor of revolt wasn’t just limited to rebels as even the trading communities and bankers of Ludhiana felt compelled to contribute to the needs of the revolutionaries through material aid which supplemented the looting of colonial outposts.

With the city under their control, Shah Abdul Qadir along with his four sons, set off to Delhi. This was an irredeemable mistake and to quote V.D. Savarkar again “It would have been a strategic and moral advantage if the Sepoys could have held Ludhiana fort, as it was the key to Punjab; and if Ludhiana had also been a center of Revolution, like Delhi, it would have been a terrible shock to the English power ”. However, as suggested earlier the Maulana was working under direct orders from Bahadur Shah Zafar and was compelled to leave everything and reach Delhi immediately.

The rebellion as we know was put down in Delhi and Bahadur Shah Zafar was arrested. Shah Abdul Qadir now declared a fugitive with a bounty of 1 lakh on his head was able to escape along with his four sons. The Muslim Rajputs of Satlana (present day Rajasthan state) provided him and his family with refuge and hid them in underground cells used for storing wheat and their location was kept a secret by the Muslim village.

A general amnesty though was granted in November 1, 1858 and in 1860 only after travelling a mile out of the Satlana village, Maulana Shah Abdul Qadir Ludhianvi “the most troublesome man” according to Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner G.M. Ricketts would meet his Creator. The family was naturally given a hero’s welcome and after an initial arrest of his sons by the authorities were later released and their properties restored. During partition they decided to stay behind in India to serve the Muslim community in Ludhiana and they continue their spiritual, political and social work till this very day.

In fact, his direct descendant Maulana Habib-ur-Rahman Sani is the chief Imam of the main Masjid in Ludhiana and the family continues to raise voice for oppressed Muslims as he was quoted “In a democracy, everyone has the right to express his/her opinion. We extend full support to the students who were brutally beaten up by police in Delhi and Aligarh.” referring to the protests by Jamia Milli Islamia and Aligarh students in 2019.

References:

-Punjab District Gazetteer-Ludhiana 1970, pgs 86-98

-The Indian War of Independence by Vinayak Savarkar, pgs 117-122

-MALIK, S. (1976). THE PANJAB AND THE INDIAN “MUTINY”: A REASSESSMENT. Islamic Studies, 15(2), 81-110. Retrieved October 17, 2020

-International The News. (2007, December 15). An Arain Freedom Fighter. Retrieved from https://www.thenews.com.pk/archive/print/85466-an-arain-freedom-fighter

-Jagga, R. (2019, December 17). Everyone has the right to express their opinion: Punjab Shahi Imam. Retrieved from https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/ludhiana/everyone-has-the-right-to-express-their-opinion-punjab-shahi-imam-citizenship-act-jamia-protests-amu-6171945/