Battle of Saragarhi
Event: 12 Sep 1897 in Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
(India) Havildar Ishar Singh, and 20 soldiers in a stone-bunker, stood fast and stopped an Army of 10,000 Afghans – in an Act of Gallantry that is remembered even to this day. All 21 were awarded the Indian Order of Merit, the highest at that time.
A dispute over the regular payment, saw the Afridi Tribesmen join up with the Orakzais and Chamkanis to launch an attack on 03 Sep 1897. This was followed by the Main Assault on 13 September.
The 30 miles long Samana Ridge was defended by two forts constructed during the time of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780-1839) some 5 miles apart – Fort Lockhart and Fort Cavagnari (aka Gulistan). Saragarhi was located midway between the two Forts, and the Post was a brick house commanded by Havildar Ishar Singh, a Jat Sikh from Punjab, and many of his team of 20 youngsters, came from Ferozepur (Firozpur) in Punjab.
Around 09:00 AM, some 10,000 Afghans entered the Kurram Valley, and attacked Saragarhi, in an attempt to cut-off the communication link between the two Forts.
Havildar Ishar Singh decided to stay, and the 20 brave hearts decide to fight to the last man, while bullets from a thousand muskets struck the masonry walls of the Post. The Sikhs kept their cool, used their rifles accurately and dropped many an attacker. They repulsed multiple assaults on the post, refused promises of amnesty from the Afghans, and the battle continued for six long hours, before the outer wall was breached, and hand-to-hand fighting ensued with fixed bayonets.
Then Ishar Singh, the leader, took position at the breached entrance, and ordered his men to move back to the inner area. But sheer numbers overwhelmed the Sikh, and the attackers entered the inner wall, where again a fierce hand-to-hand fight ensued.
Sepoy Gurmukh Singh, the signalman, then send his last message, “The enemy are inside now, request permission to stop signalling so I can join the fight”. He was the last to fall, but he is believed to have killed 20.
Finally the Afghans set fire to the building, just to be sure – disregarding their own wounded who may have been inside.
All 21 soldiers were awarded the Indian Order of Merit. Many historians compare this battle to the Battle of Thermopylae (08-10 Sep 400 BC), on which the 2006 film “300” is based.
AFTERMATH: After a joyous celebration, the Afghans turned their attention to Fort Cavagnari (aka Gulistan), but the Fort had been reinforced during the night of 13-14 September. The British launched the Tirah Expedition (1897-98), and things were back to normal again, after a peace treaty with the tribal leaders.
LEGACY: Two memorials were erected in their honour – Gurudwara in Amritsar (1902) and Ferozepur (1904). By a Special Army Order, Saragarhi Day is celebrated by all Sikh Regiments.
Today We Remember 