Bareilly and Rohilkhand during the Revolt

Rohilkhand, a region in north-western Uttar Pradesh named after the Afghan Rohilla tribes, became a major bastion of the Revolt of 1857. Centered at Bareilly, the uprising in Rohilkhand replaced British administrative authority with an independent government that lasted for nearly a year.

Historical Background and Pre-1857 Discontent

The East India Company acquired Rohilkhand from the Nawab of Awadh in 1801 through the Treaty of Lucknow. The colonial administration dismantled the traditional social and economic order of the region over the following five decades.

Loss of Rohilla Power

• The defeat of Hafiz Rahmat Khan at the Battle of Miranpur Katra in 1774 ended independent Rohilla Afghan rule in the region.
• The 1801 cession by Nawab Saadat Ali Khan brought Rohilkhand under direct British control.
• Traditional Rohilla chieftains lost their administrative rights, stipends, and military positions under British rule.

Land Revenue Assessment

• High land tax assessments impoverished small landholders and traditional zamindars across Rohilkhand.
• Defaulting landholders lost their ancestral estates to urban moneylenders through forced public auctions.
• Dispossessed Afghan soldiers and agricultural workers created a large pool of discontented citizens ready to resist colonial rule.

Outbreak of the Revolt at Bareilly

News of the uprisings at Meerut and Delhi reached Bareilly in mid-May 1857, creating tension within the local garrison.

The Outbreak on May 31, 1857

• The 18th and 68th Bengal Native Infantry regiments, alongside the 8th Irregular Cavalry, revolted at the Bareilly cantonment on May 31, 1857.
• Native sepoys attacked British officers, seized the treasury, and destroyed official government buildings.
• Major James Troup and surviving British officers fled to the hill station of Nainital, leaving Rohilkhand under rebel control.

Leadership and Administration under Khan Bahadur Khan

The rebel forces chose Khan Bahadur Khan, the grandson of the last Rohilla ruler Hafiz Rahmat Khan, as their leader.

Declaration of Authority

• Khan Bahadur Khan assumed power in Bareilly and declared himself the Viceroy or Governor of Rohilkhand.
• He formally acknowledged the paramount authority of Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar in Delhi.
• He issued coins and public proclamations in the name of the Mughal Emperor to establish political legitimacy.

Civil and Revenue Administration

• Khan Bahadur Khan set up an administrative council to collect revenue, maintain civil order, and supply provisions to the military.
• He appointed Pandit Sobha Ram, a prominent local merchant, as his Diwan and Chief Revenue Officer.
• He maintained communal harmony between Hindu and Muslim populations, issuing bans on cattle slaughter during religious festivals to preserve unity.

Military Leadership of Bakht Khan

• Subedar Bakht Khan of the Company’s artillery took command of the rebel forces at Bareilly.
• In June 1857, Bakht Khan led a large force of sepoys, equipment, and captured treasury funds from Bareilly to Delhi.
• Upon arriving in Delhi, Bahadur Shah Zafar appointed Bakht Khan as Commander-in-Chief of the rebel forces in the imperial capital.

Key Rebel Centers across Rohilkhand

The revolt quickly spread beyond Bareilly to encompass the entire Rohilkhand division.

Shahjahanpur

• On May 31, 1857, native troops attacked the British congregation inside the church at Shahjahanpur.
• Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah of Faizabad later made Shahjahanpur his operational base, fighting fiercely against advancing British columns.

Moradabad and Bijnor

• Sepoys of the 29th Native Infantry seized the treasury at Moradabad.
• Nawab Mahmud Khan, the grandson of Rohilla chief Najib-ud-Daula, established rebel administration at Bijnor.

Budaun and Pilibhit

• Local landholders drove out British revenue officials and established independent local governance aligned with Khan Bahadur Khan.

Key Leaders in Rohilkhand (1857–1858)

British Recapture and Suppression

After recapturing Delhi, Kanpur, and Lucknow, the British military command directed its attention toward clearing Rohilkhand.

The Rohilkhand Campaign

• Commander-in-Chief Sir Colin Campbell organized a multi-pronged offensive to surround Rohilkhand in early 1858.
• British columns under Brigadier John Penny, General Walpole, and Sir Brigadier Jones converged on Bareilly from different directions.

Battle of Bareilly (May 5, 1858)

• Khan Bahadur Khan fielded an army of nearly 40,000 troops to defend the city.
• A fierce engagement took place outside Bareilly on May 5, 1858, featuring heavy charges by Ghazi Afghan fighters.
• Sir Colin Campbell defeated the rebel forces and entered Bareilly on May 6–7, 1858, ending organized resistance in the city.

Capture and Execution of Leaders

• Khan Bahadur Khan escaped into the dense forests of the Terai along the Nepal border.
• British authorities captured him in Nepal in late 1859 and brought him back to Bareilly.
• After a formal military trial, Khan Bahadur Khan was hanged inside the Bareilly District Jail on March 24, 1860.

Key Historical Facts

The Battle of Miranpur Katra in 1774 was fought between the Rohillas under Hafiz Rahmat Khan and the Nawab of Awadh, Shuja-ud-Daula, who was backed by East India Company troops under Colonel Alexander Champion. Nainital served as the primary refuge for British officers and civil servants fleeing from Bareilly, Moradabad, and Shahjahanpur during the 1857 uprising. Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah was killed at the gate of Powayan in June 1858 when the local Raja, Jagannath Singh, refused to open the fort gates to assist him against the British and fired upon him. Khan Bahadur Khan maintained a regular postal system and set up civil courts across Rohilkhand during his eleven-month administration, issuing firmans stamped with the seal of the Mughal Emperor.