Today marks the 126th anniversary of the Battle of Saragarhi, a heroic battle fought by 21 brave Sikh soldiers against over 10,000 Afridi and Orakzai tribals in 1897. The event has inspired films, books, and countless people.
Here are five facts about the Battle of Saragarhi:
The Battle of Saragarhi took place on September 12, 1897, when 21 Sikh soldiers of the 36 Sikh Regiment of the British Indian army laid their lives defending the Saragarhi outpost in Waziristan. Saragarhi served as a communication relay post between Fort Lockhart and Fort Gulistan.
On the morning of September 12, the Saragarhi outpost was besieged by over 10,000 Pathans who took positions and opened fires. At that time, there were just 21 Sikhs inside the Saragarhi fort.
One of the Sikh soldiers, Sepoy Gurmukh Singh, sent a message to his commander, Colonel Naughten, who told them to return fire. Despite being outnumbered, the valiant soldiers did not abandon the post and vowed to defend it.
The Battle of Saragarhi witnessed a heavy exchange of fire between the Pathans and the soldiers and lasted for about seven hours. As the soldiers ran out of ammunition, they requested their commander for more supplies. However, the ammunition did not arrive and the Sikh soldiers continued fighting till their last breath.
The battle inspired the 2019 Bollywood film Kesari starring Akshay Kumar and Parineeti Chopra.
