Saragarhi battle heroes decendents found by Saragarhi Foundation
Malton: After 126 years, Saragarhi battle heroes decendents found by Saragarhi Foundation and honored during the event. Spending many years, Chairman of Saragarhi Foundation, Gurinderpal Singh Josan, with the help of Sikh Regiment of British Army, has found the decendents of all these 21 soldiers.
An impressive event was organized by Saragarhi Foundation at Sikh Heritage Museum located at Great Punjab Plaza in Malton to commemorate the heroes of this great battle in the history of mankind when on 12 September 1897 led by Havildar Ishar Singh, these 21 soldiers in the fort—all of whom were Sikhs—refused to surrender and fought with more than 10,000 Afgans for many hours and sacrifide their lives.
The post was recaptured two days later by another British Indian contingent. Akshay Kumar’s movie ‘Kesri’ was based on this. Families of Hawaldar Ishar Singh and Sepoy Sahib Singh were also honored during the event. Vice President of this Foundation Mr. Jay Minhas from Vancouver has also come to join these events. Parvasi Media will share full coverage of the event on Parvasi TV and & YouTube channel.
The Battle of Saragarhi
The 1897 battle was fought between the British Indian contingent comprising 21 Jat Sikh soldiers of the 36th Sikhs (now known as the Indian Army’s 4th Battalion) and over 10,000 Afghans.
The 21 Jat Sikh soldiers were stationed at an army post in a village in the then North-West Frontier Province (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan) when they were attacked by the Afghan tribesmen.
In what is known as one of history’s greatest battles, the 21 Sikh soldiers led by Havildar Ishar Singh, chose to fight till death.
The Battle of Saragarhi is the only instance in the history of warfare where 21 soldiers were posthumously awarded Indian Order Merit, the highest award given to Indian soldiers at the time (equivalent to today’s Param Vir Chakra).
Why was Saragarhi important?
Saragarhi was a post originally constructed by the Sikh emperor Maharaja Ranjit Singh during his western campaign along the Hindu Kush ranges. The British later took over Saragarhi and a series of other posts.
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Saragarhi was a communication relay post between Fort Lockhart and Fort Gulistan in the Sulaiman Range of NWFP. The post was vital to ensure the survival of these two forts and the region’s defence.
To celebrate the Sikh soldiers’ achievements, September 12 is celebrated as the Regimental Battle Honours Day of the Sikh Regiment of the Indian Army.
It is to remember the dedication and courage of the 21 soldiers who managed to fight the Afghan attackers for an entire day (24 hours), thus buying time for the other two forts to be reinforced. Due to their sacrifice, the other forts were able to defend themselves during the attack.