First War of Indian Independence is a term predominantly used in India to describe
the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The event challenged and ended the power and
control of British East Indian Company in India to be replaced by nine decades
of British colonial rule, known as the British Raj.
Some Punjabis have opposed the use of
the term First War of Independence by the Government to describe the 1857
revolt. They insist that the First Anglo-Sikh War(1845–46)
should be called the First War of Independence instead. In May 2007, the Lok
Sabha Deputy Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal and three other MPs from Punjab
protested against the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the 1857 revolt
over this issue.
Some South Indian historians have also
opposed the use of the term, and have unsuccessfully taken the issue to the
court. These historians insist that several other anti-British uprisings in
South India (such as the Vellore Mutiny) had preceded
the 1857 revolt, and should be called the First War of Indian independence. In
2006, when the Indian postal department issued a postal stamp to commemorate
the Vellore Mutiny of 1806 (see my post
dated 25th June 2016), M.
Karunanidhi, the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, said that the move had
given "due recognition" to India's "first war of
independence".
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