(a) The sepoys had numerous grievances against the British-masters:
The sepoys had helped the British to establish their empire in India but they were neither appreciated nor rewarded for their efforts. On the contrary, they were treated with great contempt by the British officers.
There was grave discrimination between the Indian sepoy and his British counterpart. A capable and dedicated sepoy could not rise above the post of subedar.
In 1856, an Act was passed which made it compulsory for all new recruits to serve overseas if required. This hurt the sentiments of the Hindus because they belived that overseas travel would lead to a loss of caste. The sepoys interpreted the regulation as another ** on their caste and religion.
After the annexation of Awadh, the Nawab’* army was disbanded. The soldiers lost their means of livelihood and their bitterness against the British increased.
The Indian soldiers greatly outnumbered the British soldiers. In 1856, the number of sepoys in the British army was more than five times that of the British soldiers. This emboldened the sepoys to take up arms against their foreign masters.
(b) In 1856, an Act was passed which made it compulsory for all new recruits to serve overseas if required. This hurt the sentiments of the Hindus because they believed that overseas travel would lead to a loss of caste. The sepoys interpreted the regulation as another ** on their caste and religion.
(c) In January 1857, a rumour started at the Dum Dum cantonment (in Calcutta) that the cartridges, which the British had introduced, were greased with cow and pig lard. The rumour spread like wildfire among the Hindu and ** sepoys. They were convinced that the government was deliberately trying to defile their religion. A wave of indignation and anger swept through all the military stations. On 29 march 1857 Mangal Pandey, a sepoy at Barrackpore refused to use the cartridge and attacked his senior officers. He was hanged to ****.
