Our Name is Rebel - The Second Indian Mutiny

[Torn but Flying]

OUR NAME IS REBEL - THE SECOND INDIAN MUTINY

If anyone asks who we are
Tell him our name is rebel
Our duty is to end the tyranny
Our profession is to launch revolution
That is our namaz, this is our sandhya
Our puja, our worship
This is our religion
Our work
This is our only Khuda, our only Rama.
Kartar Singh Sarabha

The British have occupied our dear land. Our commerce and industry has been ruined. They have plundered and looted the wealth of Hindustan and brought famine and plague. More than 90 million Hindustanis do not even have one square meal a day. Thirty million have died due to famine and plague. They are sending all our produce and grains to England. Brave Hindis! Awaken from your sleep. What is our duty at this time? Our duty at this time is to prepare an army to fight against British rule in India which is the root of all our problems. This is not the time for talk. This is the time for war. How long will you wait? How long will the world keep calling you slaves?
Ghadar Party Statement 1914

India, 1915. The jewel in Britannia’s imperial crown is in danger of losing its sparkle. Growing political consciousness on the part of the Indian population and unrest about the possible consequences of the Great War – into which the Raj had been thrust without native opinion being canvassed – bubbles under the complacent façade of British rule. The British Indian army is increasingly diverted to fight in far-flung theatres – Flanders, East Africa and in preparation for the Gallipoli landings - with further campaigns planned in Mesopotamia.

Lahore. Sikh country. During the great rebellion of ’57 Sikh troops had been instrumental in restoring British rule and defeating the mutineers. But now, sixty years on, the Punjab is restless. Highly intelligent and motivated radicals, driven by nationalistic fervour inspired by Sun Yat-Sen’s rebellion in China, are plotting from their bases on the west coast of the United States. The aims of the Ghadar movement are nothing short of the complete destruction of British rule in India.

Meanwhile, the Kaiser schemes. A German mission makes its way towards Afghanistan – ancient enemies of the Indians – to stir up holy war and Jihad.

February 1915. The 23rd Cavalry, Lahore, are ready to rise.

[Mac Gregor]

Looks interesting. Keep it coming.

[Torn but Flying]

Thanks! Here's the next part.

PART TWO

The whole conspiracy had so almost been given away. Gurjinder had known there was something wrong with the newest member of their cell, Kirpal Singh. Something about the way he asked questions about aspects of the plot that shouldn’t have concerned him, the furtive glances at papers detailing weapons caches and lists of collaborators, and the lack of the burning fire of revolution that his dull eyes betrayed. [1] Gurjinder had therefore felt no guilt at having Kirpal followed after one of their meetings, and his agents had confirmed his suspicions when Kirpal was seen conversing with a couple of Lahore lowlives known to be in the pay of the British Political Service. With so much to lose there could be no question of delay, and so two Ghadar members were dispatched with orders to kill the one who had betrayed their cause.

The plot itself had been planned down to the finest details. At a given signal at morning roll call, the men of the 23rd cavalry would rise against their officers and secure the Lahore cantonment. This would be followed by other risings across Punjab, with cells in Bengal readying themselves to launch a simultaneous uprising in Calcutta. British forces in the Raj were stretched pitifully thin, with the Indian Army divisions depleted to supply troops for expeditionary forces on the Western Front and in East Africa. Furthermore as the Indian Army divisions contained only a battalion each of British troops – with the rest made up of native soldiers – the number of completely reliable soldiers was reduced again. At the beginning of the war a territorial division – the 43rd (2nd Wessex) – had been shipped to India but was now operating under peacetime conditions and had been parcelled out in battalion-sized units across the length of the Raj. The Wessexs’ artillery – more powerful than the mountain guns which were the heaviest possessed by the Indian units – had also been divided and garrisoned in several towns.

[1] This is the POD – in OTL Kirpal Singh betrayed the plot days before it was to start.

[MerryPrankster]

I will keep an eye on this. This is a promising beginning.

If they think their plot has been betrayed, they might need to move more quickly than they'd like, even if they manage to head off the ultimate betrayal that prevented the rising OTL.

[Torn but Flying]

Yeah that's exactly what happened in OTL, although by that stage even the hastily rearranged rising was compromised by the double agent. Weirdly the conspirators seemed to have suspected him for a while before they attempted to do anything - and even when they did try they were unsuccessful.

PART THREE

Cornet Henry Connors surveyed the ranks of mounted troops in parade order. The sowars[2] cut quite a dash when they scrubbed up and Connors took pride in the way the sun glinted off the burnished leather of their bandoliers. Roll was called with the men rigid to attention in their saddles, the twenty or so British officers eager to return to the relative cool of the regiment’s headquarters to rest before drill. Connors had only been with the 23rd for a few months but had already started to settle into the life of a provincial garrison officer. The heat, on the other hand, was proving harder to get used to. Senses dulled by the beating sun and forced to squint it was a few seconds before Connors realised something was wrong towards the centre of the parade ground. Captain French’s horse seemed agitated as an NCO – Sushil Khan? – broke ranks and approached the officer at a trot. Gesturing wildly at something behind French, Khan waited until his back was turned before thrusting at him with his lance. Eyes wide, Connors could only watch as the captain – an old India hand who’d been born minutes away from the cantonment – buckled in his saddle. Simultaneously around three quarters of the sowars threw down their lances and, sabres drawn, spurred their mounts towards the thin line of Europeans facing them.

As if waking from a nightmare Connors snapped into action. Stopping himself from charging to the aid of the captain – who was now slumped over with the charging mutineers only seconds away – he tightened his grip on the reigns and forced his horse to turn towards Lts Wavell and Hart, who had drawn their service revolvers and were ordering the sowors to down their arms to no noticeable effect. But even as he moved towards them and unholstered his own sidearm the men were cut down by rifle fire from the ammunition store to the rear, and shots peppered the sand around Connors. He saw in the distance a group of a dozen or so sowars – evidently not in on the plot – fighting off a large troop of mutineers, but as they were backed against one of the buildings it was clear they were doomed. Suddenly Connor noticed another small band of men from his own troop gesturing to the nearest exit from the compound. Knowing he had nothing to lose he forced his horse round again and galloped for the gate. Making as if to pursue him his men followed, unnoticed by the rest of the sowars busy butchering the remaining officers and securing stores of weapons and supplies. Half a kilometre from the compound Connors turned, grateful to the men – his loyal men – who had risked their lives to save him. “To the cantonment” he ordered, “we must rally the Dukes[3] before it’s too late.” Sending a man to warn the residency, Connors and his men raced ahead, whoops of victory reverberating in their ears.

[2] Cavalry trooper in the British Indian army (As sepoy is to infantry soldier.)
[3] The 1 Duke of Wellington's were the British component of the 3rd Indian Army Division, based at Lahore.

[Patton]

Very good so far I subscribed.

[Gosing]

Awesome so far.

Will the rebels find any kind of central figure to rally around, or are they aiming for a republic? And is there any possibillity of some of the rulers of the Princely States going over after being assured they could hold on to some of their perks in the new India?

[eliphas8]

This is really amazing looking right now. Definately subscribing.

[starwarsfan]

Nice TL, like the idea of India rebelling during WWI.

[MarshalBraginsky]

Would this affect Gandhi in any way possible? Now that the Second Indian Mutiny has broke out, I guess it may have an effect on Hindu-Muslim relations down the road.

[flo]

It will be interesting to see the effect of a successful mutiny in India on the Great War.

Subscribed

[eliphas8]

Originally Posted by MarshalBraginsky

Would this affect Gandhi in any way possible? Now that the Second Indian Mutiny has broke out, I guess it may have an effect on Hindu-Muslim relations down the road.

Isnt this mostly a Shikh thing? If that's the case then it may not be an important thing between Hindus and Muslims.

[MerryPrankster]

Three updates in one day? I'm impressed.

Keep up the good work.

[Jonathan Edelstein]

Now I know why I need to check After 1900 more often. Subscribed.

[Ganesha]

Very interesting start. If this is eventually put down (as I'd expect), the Defence of India Act equivalent to be even harsher and more totalitarian - leading to a vicious cycle of violence. On the one hand, this could unite the subcontinent in hatred of the British - on the other hand, more violence can only mean more ruin and more bad times for India ahead.

On the other hand, if the rebellion by some miracle succeeds, it'll likely soon lead to the fragmentation of India along the lines of the local rebellions. This could be good for some parts and bad for others.

I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes.

Cheers,
Ganesha

[General_Finley]

this looks awfully interesting, subscribed.

[Torn but Flying]

Thanks for the interest everyone!

Will the rebels find any kind of central figure to rally around, or are they aiming for a republic? And is there any possibillity of some of the rulers of the Princely States going over after being assured they could hold on to some of their perks in the new India?

There are quite a few intellectuals in the Punjab and Bengal behind the plot - Jatindrnath Mukherjee is the most important leader in the east, Sohan Singh Bhakna was president of the Ghadar party so behind the risings in the west. The main aim was to kick the British out, after that there were plans to establish a republic with 'universal suffrage.' Who knows what forces they might unleash though! As for the princely states - they have it pretty good under British rule but there's no knowing what circumstance might force them into. I'm trying to upload a map of the planned uprisings - that shows the princely state of Kashmir-Jammu would be very isolated if the risings did succeed!

Would this affect Gandhi in any way possible?

I wasn't sure Gandhi was in India at this stage - I could only see that he returned in 1915 but it turns out he arrived in January. He's affiliated with the Indian National Congress - the originally British-tolerated political party - which is a lot less radical than the Punjab/Bengal revolutionaries.

Isnt this mostly a Shikh thing?

The Ghadar are a mix of Sikhs and Hindus - they're behind the uprisings in the Punjab including the one at Lahore. However before it began they made contact with the Jugantar - a Hindu revolutionary group based in Bengal on the other side of the country. The plan was to have an (almost) simultaneous uprising depending on how the mutinies in the Punjab panned out. As well as that the Ottoman Empire has declared a Holy War and called for Muslim subjects everywhere to rise against their oppressors, and the German military mission to Afghanistan is tasked with persuading the Afghan Emir to attack from the north. So basically there is a chance of all three major religions getting involved!


Here's a map of British-Indian Lahore for future updates - hopefully it'll stop things getting too confusing.

[Badshah]

Awesome. Totally subscribed.

[eliphas8]

Originally Posted by Torn but Flying

Thanks for the interest everyone!

Dude you put out three great updates in one day, that alone puts you in the spotlight as someone who really really really prepared for this and planned it out well, it also helps that this is freaking awesome.

[Torn but Flying]

Originally Posted by eliphas8

Dude you put out three great updates in one day, that alone puts you in the spotlight as someone who really really really prepared for this and planned it out well, it also helps that this is freaking awesome.

Thanks! I'm enjoying writing it.

Quick correction - I've realised that the Connaught Rangers, although attached to the 3rd (Lahore) Division, were actually based at Ferozepur. The 1st battalion Duke of Wellington's Regiment would have been at the Lahore Cantonment.