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127th Anniversary of the Battle of Saragarhi
- 16 Sep 2024
- 2 min read
Recently, the 127th anniversary of the Battle of Saragarhi was observed on 12th September 2024. It is one of the greatest final defences in world military history.
- On 12th September 1897, 21 soldiers and a non-combatant (named Daad who did menial works) of the 36th Sikh Regiment (now 4th Sikh) fought against over 8,000 Afridi and Orakzai tribal militants in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), now in Pakistan.
- The soldiers, led by Havildar Ishar Singh, fought valiantly for seven hours, killing 200 militants and injuring 600 others.
- Strategic Importance of Saragarhi: Saragarhi was a communication tower located between Fort Lockhart and Fort Gulistan, two critical British forts in the NWFP. , originally built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh and later renamed by the British.
- Losing this post meant isolating the forts, thereby making British troops and the families of British officers vulnerable to attack.
- Honours for the Martyrs: Queen Victoria awarded the 21 dead soldiers the Indian Order of Merit (comparable with the Victoria Cross) for their bravery.
- The British built an obelisk using burnt bricks from Saragarhi to honour the martyrs.
- In 2017, the Punjab government declared 12th September as Saragarhi Day, a holiday to honour the sacrifice of the soldiers.
- The Khyber Scouts regiment of the Pakistani army continues to honour the Saragarhi martyrs with a guard and salute at the memorial near Fort Lockhart.
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