How Rebellion was suppressed?

1.    

A glimpse of Kashmiri Gate in the 19th century

Enactment of Special Laws: 

•  Before deploying troops to suppress the rebellion, the British passed a series of laws in May and June 1857 to put the entire North India under martial law.

• Military officers as well as ordinary Britons were given the power to try and punish Indians suspected of rebellion. The ordinary processes of law was suspended. It was declared that rebellion would only be punished by death.

2.      Two-Pronged Attack on Delhi: 

•  The British recognized the symbolic value of Delhi and launched a two-pronged attack to reconquer the city.

•  One force moved from Calcutta into North India, and the other from the peaceful Punjab.  

•  The process of recovering Delhi began in early June 1857, with the city finally being captured in late September.

3.     Not a Mutiny but an Uprising.

•      The British realized that they were not just dealing with a mutiny but a widespread uprising with substantial popular support.

• British forces had to reconquer the area village by village

4.     Promise and Punishment Strategy: 

• In areas where there was united resistance, such as present-day Uttar Pradesh, the British employed a strategy of promising to give back estates to big landholders/ Talukdars who were loyal.