The Battle Of Saragarhi – When 21 Sikhs Faced 10,000 Pathans In A Sparta Style Last Stand

In the summer of 1897, the British faced a major rebellion by the Pashtuns on the Samana range of the Hindu Kush Mountains in Pakistan. At the time the whole region was under the British rule but their hold on the North West Frontier was shaky. Saragarhi was a small communications post held by 21 soldiers of the 36th Sikh Regiment of the British Army. The post enabled communications between Fort Lockhart and Fort Gulistan and was a significant tactical line of defense.

In order to cut-off any contact between Fort Lockhart and Fort Gulistan, the Pashtuns attacked the communications post in Saragarhi quite sure that a handful of soldiers could not do anything to stop the siege in any significant way. The leader of the pack Ishwar Singh had different plans, however.

Ishwar Singh knew that holding off the army of Pashtuns was neither practical nor logical but one thing that Sikhs are widely known for is their bravery. Ishwar Singh ordered his men to prepare for battle while he sent out the message to Lt. Col. John Haughton at Fort Lockhart to send in reinforcements.

The main strategy of the Sikh Regiment was to force the Pashtuns to engage in a battle and hold them off till help arrived even if it meant sacrificing their lives to defend the post. When the battle began and the Pashtuns suffered heavy casualties in efforts to breach a part of the wall of the picket, offers were made to the soldiers in return for their surrender but they vehemently refused.

Fierce had-to-hand fighting ensued as the regiment held-off the ferocious attacks courageously. The first man to get injured was Bhagwan Singh and shortly before the end, the lead commander Ishwar Singh ordered his men to retreat while he took the mantle to delay the Pashtun’s charge.

The last man to fall was Gurmukh Singh, the heliograph operator, whose battle cry, “Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal,” was heard until the end. No Sikh survived the battle but the regiment till then had made sure that reinforcements reach Fort Gulistan to prevent any losses on other Forts.

The story of the courage shown by those 21 Sikhs is taught in schools of France and remembered as one of the eight collective stories on bravery published by UNESCO. 21 Sikhs inflicted heavy losses to the Pashtuns taking out a total of 600 Pathans in the battle.

The soldiers were awarded the Indian order of merit and the battle is still remembered today as one of the most epic last stands by an Indian regiment in its history.

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