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A Study of Colonial Violence During the Indian Uprising of 1857-59 James Evelegh

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A Study of Colonial Violence During the Indian Uprising of 1857-59 James Evelegh To what extent was 1857 an example of colonial genocide? A study of colonial violence during the Indian Uprising of 1857-59 James Evelegh Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 209–238 | ISSN 2050-487X | www.southasianist.ed.ac.uk www.southasianist.ed.ac.uk | ISSN 2050-487X | pg. 209 Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 209–238 To what extent was 1857 an example of colonial genocide? A study of colonial violence during the Indian Uprising of 1857-59 James Evelegh University of Edinburgh, [email protected] The 1857-59 Indian Uprising was a cataclysmic event in the history of the British Empire in India and would witness monumental and shocking scenes of violence on both sides of the conflict. The Uprising has become something much debated and discussed within Indian and British history, and an exploration of the fundamental brutality of the conflict, albeit in this case on the British side, is an important element of better understanding such an important historical event. This article therefore explores the British Army's use of violence against Indian Sepoys and ordinary civilians during the Uprising and works to explore as to whether this approached something akin to a genocide, as has previously been suggested. Figure 1. ‘Blowing from Guns in British India’ source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vereshchagin-Blowing_from_Guns_in_British_India.jpg www.southasianist.ed.ac.uk | ISSN 2050-487X | pg. 210 Introduction outlets, were provided with a plethora of he Indian Uprising of 1857-59 has evidence to confirm what they had long cast its place in history as one of the suspected the ‘savage’ Indian race to be T most infamous conflicts to take place capable of at their basest moments. It was this in the British Empire. India was the crown particular portrayal of the natives that led to jewel of the Empire and maintained by the rule cries for vengeance across Britain by the public of the East India Company (EIC), a vast British and the press, this call to arms being met by British forces in a severe fashion. trading organisation that had managed to monopolise trade between Europe and the The considerably vicious nature of the Southern Asian subcontinent effectively from rebellion’s counterinsurgency has led to 1757. The Uprising, beginning with a mutiny suggestions that the violence committed by the of the Sepoys at the Meerut barracks of the British was greater than routine suppression, Bengal Army in May 1857 and spreading and instead took on a more grotesque form of throughout other regiments of the Indian Army violent reaction, possibly even genocide. Most and into the wider population until its official notably this accusation has been levelled by end in April 1859, shook the Empire to its core. Indian writer and historian Amaresh Misra, The rebellion would pave the way for almost a who challenges the common consensus that the century of direct rule by the British Crown who numbers of deaths of Indians throughout the assumed control in 1858. The 1857 conflict course of the Uprising amounted to no more itself was ferocious and by no means short of than around one hundred thousand, and instead accounts of atrocities committed by both sides. argues that the conflict lasted over a decade The rebels would commit appalling acts of and resulted in what he has described publicly violence against Europeans, and the British as a ‘Holocaust, one where millions 2 army’s mission to control and suppress the disappeared…’ Misra claims that the British Uprising was, as Rudrangshu Mukherjee saw this as a ‘necessary Holocaust’ and cites asserted, ‘marked by scenes of violence quite British labour records in India that show large unparalleled in the history of British rule in discrepancies in manpower across the India.’1 The British public, feasting on subcontinent pre and post the Uprising as being narratives of barbaric slaughter of Europeans in evidence for the huge numbers of fatalities, the London Times and other national media even ranging into the millions, that supposedly 1 Mukherjee, R.“Satan Let Loose Upon the Earth” The 2 Misra, A. in The Guardian, Friday 24 August 2007 Kanpur Massacres in India in the Revolt of 1857’ Past http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/aug/24/india.ran and Present, vol.128, no.1, 1990, p.93 deepramesh www.southasianist.ed.ac.uk | ISSN 2050-487X | pg. 211 occurred.3 In Misra’s view, the British army’s differing interpretations of what this word reaction to the 1857 Uprising was akin to an actually embodies are numerous. Genocide, act of genocide, hence the reference to the although the term was coined by Raphael Holocaust, a term unusual when utilised Lemkin in 1943/44, was by no means a outside of its original context of violent anti- twentieth-century phenomenon, but in wake of Semitism throughout 1933-45 Nazi Germany the Holocaust the postwar world was perhaps and the horrors of the attempted extermination in need of a more extensive expression to of the Jewish people in Europe. Although define slaughter on such a monumental scale Misra’s sources of evidence and statistical data and for such specific reasoning. To reach this for the main line of his argument have been expression, Lemkin had combined the Greek questioned by historians versed in the topic, it genos meaning ‘race’ and the Latin suffix – is not the aim of this debate to query the cide for ‘kill’.4 The UN Resolution of 1946 numbers of those killed by the British in order then would expand upon this and defined to take issue with the idea of ‘genocide’. The genocide in international law as ‘the denial of debate shall instead examine the motives of the the right of existence of entire human groups.’5 British soldiers and officers for exacting the The idea of genocide as the elimination, partial extensive nature of the Uprising’s violence, or in whole, of human groups has pervaded demonstrated in their methods and reasoning much of the understanding of what the term throughout the conflict. The problem with means in both academic and popular form. basing an accusation largely upon statistical However, Martin Shaw has asserted that the data, i.e., the numbers of those killed, is that it use of the word has become too common, as muddies the terminology surrounding the allegations of genocide are made often freely to notion of genocide. A statistical approach describe a situation where a certain volume of therefore does not largely take into account killing has occurred, this blurring an accurate motivational reasoning for widespread colonial definition or useful application of the term.6 violence during the Uprising, which is arguably One may question therefore as to whether an where the real application of the term genocide accusation of genocide in reference to the should be tested. British counterinsurgency in 1857 is also a case The difficulties that immediately arise of this misuse. Genocide, in a legal sense, must from such an accusation stem from the complexities surrounding the phrase, as 4 S. Totten & P. Bartrop (eds.), The Genocide Studies Reader, London, Routledge, 2009, p.4 5 Ibid 6 M. Shaw What is Genocide? Cambridge, Polity Press, 3 Ibid 2007, p.3 www.southasianist.ed.ac.uk | ISSN 2050-487X | pg. 212 go beyond the categories for standard murder of extreme violence but each contains a vital of mens rea (guilty mind) and actus reus difference in their manifestations. Jacques (guilty act), but also compose of a third Semelin has begun the definition of massacre element: dolus specialis – the existence of as a form of collective action aimed at the special intent to destroy a group, in part or in elimination of civilians, mostly non- whole.7 This is also sometimes referred to as combatants, as an act or extension of war.10 ‘specific intent’, denoting the idea that the Massacre, therefore, though aimed at a certain intention to kill has a particular target, though people, is not necessarily ethnically, religiously notably this is largely interchangeable with the or politically defined, and thus differentiates former term and is a legal scruple if anything.8 itself from genocide. Furthermore, Semelin In terms of the ‘group’ that the definition refers also argues that massacre is employed for to, this has usually been exemplified in ethnic, partial destruction with the intention of having religious or political means, i.e., the mass an impact on the whole community murder of Muslims due to their religion, hence psychologically; in other words the spread of ‘group’, could warrant the claim of genocide. terror amongst the survivors of such a Genocide in practice may appear to have a traumatic event can therefore achieve the multitude of origins leading to its employment, desired effect without the need for complete however dolus specialis must arguably be extermination.11 The aspect that also blurs the demonstrated along either ethnic, political, or distinction between genocide and massacre, religious lines, as well as other cases of a and something that is central to our discussion, persecution of pre-determined groups9, to is warfare, and as Adam Jones put it, ‘war and determine a feasible application of the term. genocide are the Siamese twins of history.’12 The notion of genocide therefore contends Jones sees war as setting ample conditions for that a people is physically persecuted due to genocide as the environment where violence is their being of a particular defined grouping; heightened and legalities are worn can lead to however, it is also important in terms of the mass violence being inflicted upon groups, purpose of this debate to establish genocide’s particularly in the case where war is fought distinction from massacre, as both have traits along ethnic, religious or political divides.13 The actions of war can be smoke-screened 7 O.
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