Revolt of 1857: Excavation unearths 282 Indian soldiers' skeletons
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Capture of Delhi, 1857. Coloured lithograph by Bequet Freres | National Army Museum, UK
Chandigarh: An excavation in Amritsar exhumed skeletons of 282 Indian soldiers who participated in the Revolt of 1857, mostly known as the First War of Indian Independence, Asian News International reported.
Chandigarh| These skeletons belong to 282 Indian soldiers killed during India's 1st freedom struggle against the British in 1857. These were excavated from a well found underneath religious structure in Ajnala near Amritsar, Punjab: Dr JS Sehrawat Asst Prof Dept Anthropology PU pic.twitter.com/pfGdz4W5sC
— ANI (@ANI) May 11, 2022
Assistant Professor Dr JS Sehrawat of Punjab University's Anthropology department said that the skeletal remains were unearthed from a well beneath a religious structure in Ajnala near Amritsar in Punjab.
He said that coins, medals, DNA study, elemental analysis, anthropological, radio-carbon dating etc., suggest that those soldiers fought the renowned war, which was against the use of pork and beef greased cartridges.
Some historians say that the 1857 revolt was called the First War of Independence. Some Indian sepoys who were recruited to the British military took the pork and beef greased cartridges offensive on religious sentiments, which triggered a fierce war.