On this day, jemadar Ishwari Prasad was hanged to death. He had been tried with sepoy (infantryman) Mangal Pandey for their actions against British soldiers at their army base of the 34th Bengal Native Infantry regiment of the British East India Company in Barrackpore on March 29. Pandey’s act is considered to be the starting point of the 1857 Indian Uprising.
On the afternoon of March 29, lieutenant Baugh, adjutant of the regiment, was attacked by Pandey, who, like many of his Indian colleagues, had been agitated by reports of the cartridges of the Enfield rifle. The cartridges were said to be greased with beef tallow or pig fat, unacceptable for Hindus and Muslims, respectively. When Pandey had attacked Baugh, British sergeant-major Hewson had ordered Prasad, the Indian in command of the quarter-guard, to arrest Pandey. Prasad had said his non- commissioned officers had gone to organise help and that he was not up to controlling Pandey by himself. Pandey and Prasad were sentenced to death.
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