Barkat Ahmad (1787 – 5 June 1858) was a

sepoy ''Sepoy'' () was the Persian-derived designation originally given to a professional Indian infantryman, traditionally armed with a musket, in the armies of the Mughal Empire. In the 18th century, the French East India Company and its oth ...

mutineer and leading figure of the

Indian Rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...

. Barkat Ahmad led the army of Indian rebels in the

Battle of Chinhat The Battle of Chinhat was fought on the morning of 30 June 1857, between British forces and Indian rebels, at Ismailganj, near Chinhat (or Chinhut), Oude (Awad/Oudh). The British were led by The Chief Commissioner of Oude, Sir Henry Lawrence ...

, in

Awadh Awadh (), known in British historical texts as Avadh or Oudh, is a region in the modern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, which was before independence known as the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh. It is synonymous with the Kośāla region of ...

region. Barkat Ahmad was a highly trained British sepoy. He led the rebels against the British officer

Sir Henry Lawrence Brigadier-General Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence KCB (28 June 18064 July 1857) was a British military officer, surveyor, administrator and statesman in British India. He is best known for leading a group of administrators in the Punjab affectiona ...

who was then located at the Residency.

Battle of Chinhat

On 30 June 1857, Sir Henry Lawrence received information of the movement of rebels and plan of attacking Lucknow. Sir Henry Lawrence was so confident to ambush the rebel, he led the army and came out of the Residency on a buggy. The British army was composed of 300 British soldiers, 200 Indian soldiers, 200 cavalry and 13 cannons. Barkat Ahmad had anticipated this move of Britishers, hence planned for the attack near the village of Chinchat, twelve miles from Lucknow. Barkat Ahmad led the rebel army of 5000 soldiers. He also had

Ahmadullah Shah Ahmadullah Shah (1787 – 5 June 1858) famous as ''Maulavi of Faizabad'', famous freedom fighter and was a leader of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Maulavi Ahmadullah Shah was known as the Lighthouse of Rebellion in Awadh region. British offic ...

as a commander under him. A fierce battle took place at Chinhat in which Britishers retreated and were pushed backed to the Residency. Henry Lawrence was wounded by an exploding shell on 2 July and died two days later. Barkat Ahmad is a forgotten super hero in the Indian history

Battle of Chinhat

See also

References

Further reading