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R EBELS AND THE R AJ 261 Source 2 Sisten and the tahsildar In the context of the communication of the message of revolt and mutiny, the experience of François Sisten, a native Christian police inspector in Sitapur, is telling. He had gone to Saharanpur to pay his respects to the magistrate. Sisten was dressed in Indian clothes and sitting cross-legged. A Muslim tahsildar from Bijnor entered the room; upon learning that Sisten was from Awadh, he enquired, “What news from Awadh? How does the work progress, brother?” Playing safe, Sisten What does this conversation replied, “If we have work in Awadh, your highness willsuggest about the ways in know it.” The tahsildar said, “Depend upon it, we will succeed this time. The direction of the business is inwhich plans were communicated able hands.” The tahsildar was later identified as theand discussed by the rebels? Why did the tahsildar regard principal rebel leader of Bijnor. Sisten as a potential rebel? The pattern of the mutinies and the pieces of evidence that suggest some sort of planning and Mutiny– acollectivedisobedience coordination raise certain crucial questions. How of rules and regulations within thearmedforces were the plans made? Who were the planners? It is Revolt – a rebellion of people difficult on the basis of the available documents to against established authority provide direct answers to such questions. But one and power. The terms ‘revolt’ incident provides clues as to how the mutinies came and ‘rebellion’ can be used to be so organised. Captain Hearsey of the Awadh synonymously. Military Police had been given protection by his Indian subordinates during the mutiny. The 41st In the context of the revolt of Native Infantry, which was stationed in the same 1857 the term revolt refers place, insisted that since they had killed all their primarily to the uprising of the civilian population (peasants, white officers, the Military Police should also kill zamindars, rajas, jagirdars) Hearsey or deliver him as prisoner to the 41st. The while the mutiny was of the Military Police refused to do either, and it was decided that the matter would be settled by a sepoys. panchayat composed of native officers drawn from each regiment. Charles Ball, who wrote one of the earliest histories of the uprising, noted that panchayats were a nightly occurrence in the Kanpur sepoy lines. What this suggests is that some of the decisions were taken collectively. Given the fact that the sepoys lived in lines and shared a common lifestyle and that many of them came from the same caste, it is not difficult to imagine them sitting together to decide their own future. The sepoys were the makers of their own rebellion. Reprint 2026-27