Mangal Pandey Biography

Mangal Pandey was an Indian soldier who played a major role in inciting the Indian rebellion of 1857. A sepoy serving with the British East India Company, he protested against the issue of greased cartridge to the soldiers; the cartridges were rumored to have been greased with either cow or pig lard. A staunch Hindu Brahmin, it was against his religious beliefs to bite off the ends of greased cartridges if they had indeed been lubricated with animal fat. Soon the belief rose among the soldiers that the British had deliberately used pig or cow fat, and Mangal Pandey incited the other soldiers to join him in a protest against the British. On 29 March 1857, he paced in front of the regiment's guard room by the parade ground, calling his fellow Indian soldiers to rebel. Armed with a musket, he attacked two Europeans, injuring them badly. Some of his fellow soldiers joined him in the rebellion though another sepoy, Shaikh Paltu, restrained Pandey in order to prove his loyalty to the British. In order to escape arrest Pandey tried to kill himself but failed. He was arrested and executed soon after. His death triggered off a series of mutinies by Indian soldiers in various parts of the country leading to what became known as the Indian rebellion of 1857.