Context: September 12 marks the 127th anniversary of the Battle of Saragarhi, regarded today as one of the finest last stands in global military history.
About Battle of Saragarhi
- Saragarhi was the communication tower between Fort Lockhart and Fort Gulistan. The two forts in the rugged North West Frontier Province (NWFP), now in Pakistan, were built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh but renamed by the British.
- Though Saragarhi was usually manned by a platoon of 40 soldiers, on that fateful day, it was being held by only 21 soldiers from the 36th Sikh regiment (now 4 Sikh) of the British Indian Army and a non-combatant called Daad, a Pashtun who did odd jobs for the troops. The post was led by Havildar Ishar Singh.
- The purpose of the this post was to maintain communication between the two forts using heliograph, a signalling device that used flashes of sunlight to transmit messages.
- On 12 September 1897, a massive force of around 10,000 Afghan Afridi and Orakzai tribals attacked Saragarhi, trying to cut communication between the forts.
- Despite being heavily outnumbered, the 21 Sikh soldiers decided to fight rather than surrender.
- Havildar Ishar Singh and his men held their ground for several hours, engaging in fierce combat, fought till their last breath, killing 200 tribals and injuring 600.
- In 2017, the Punjab government declared 12th September a public holiday to commemorate Saragarhi Day.
- To this day, the Khyber Scouts regiment of the Pakistani army continues to honour the Saragarhi memorial near Fort Lockhart with a guard and salute.