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History - BARBARISM OF THE BRITISH

When Bahâdir Shâh II became the emperor, he could not stand the British oppressions long and, encouraged by the army and the people, commenced a great insurrection against the British in 1274 [A. D. 1857]. But the British reaction to this was extremely vehement and cruel. Entering Delhi, the British soldiers made havoc of the city, ransacked houses and shops, and pillaged whatever they found in the name of property and money. They put all Muslims to the sword, regardless of whether they were young or old, male or female, adult or infant. It was such a massive destruction that the people could not even find any water to drink.

A British priest named Hudson, who was notorious for immoral and maladroit acts and was serving as an intelligence officer in the British army, assured the Emperor that no harm would be inflicted on him, his sons and wife. Falling for the priest’s promise, Bahâdir Shâh surrendered. As soon as Hudson arrested the Emperor’s two sons and grandson, by having recourse to a policy and stratagem peculiar to the British, he cast them into chains.

As the Shâh’s two sons and grandson were being taken to Delhi with their hands tied, Hudson had the young princes stripped of their clothes and he martyred them himself by firing bullets into their chests. He drank from their blood. He had the corpses of these young martyrs hung by the fortress gate in order to intimidate the people. The following day he sent their heads to the British governor general Henry Bernard. Then, he had a bowl of soup made from the martyrs’ flesh and sent it to the Shâh and his spouse. Being very hungry, they hastily put some into their mouths. Yet, although they did not know what kind of meat it was, they could not chew it or swallow it. Instead, they vomited and put the soup dishes on the floor. The villian named Hudson said, “Why don’t you eat it. It is delicious soup. I had it cooked from your sons’ flesh. ” In 1275 [A. D. 1858] Bahâdir Shâh II was dethroned and was subjected to a judicial trial for the crime of causing rebellion and massacre of Europeans. On March 29, he was sentenced to life imprisonment and was banished to Indo-China [Rangoon].