Tantia Tope

 


Tatia Tope, like other freedom fighters, was one of the great heroes who fought courageously for India’s freedom in 1857. He was born in 1814 in a village Yeola in Maharashtra. His father Pandurang Rao Tope shifted with Peshwa to Bithur. Tantia and the adopted sons, Nana Sahib and Maharaja Madhav, of Peshwa became good friends. All his loved ones called him Tatia because he always used to wear a hat that was gifted to him by Peshwa.
Tatia moved his first step against the British in 1851, when Lord Dalhousie deprived Nana Sahib of his father’s pension. In May 1857, he joined the political movements and established Nana Sahib’s authority. Britishers were trying to grab everything- the wealth, kingdom and the whole empire of the country. This became the biggest reason of discontent and revolt. He occupied Kanpur and then shifted to Kalpi to join Rani Lakshmi Bai to occupy Gwalior. Unfortunately, they lost the battle, Rani was killed and Britishers expanded their rule in Gwalior. After losing, he collected a huge force to fight against Britishers and was successful in capturing many forts of India. In Kalpi, he had established a center to manufacture arms. When he came to know that Britishers are short of resources, he took advantage of it and confronted Kanpur. Altogether, he fought 150 battles. 


Nana Sahib's forces attacked the British entrenchment in June, 1857. General Wheeler's contingent incurred heavy losses as a result of successive bombardments, sniper fire, and assault. The slow supplies of food, water and medicine added to the misery of the British Forces who decided to surrender, in return for a safe passage to Allahabad. Nana Sahib agreed to this and made arrangements as best as he could. At the Satichaura ghat, rebel sepoys not under Nana Sahibs command attacked the departing British troops to settle old scores. General Wheelers men were either killed or captured. The surviving British women and children were moved from the Savada House to Bibighar ("the House of the Ladies"), a villa-type house in Kanpur. British retaliation occurred as Company forces started approaching Kanpur, and Nana Sahib's bargaining attempts failed (in exchange for hostages). Nana Sahib was informed that the British troops led by Havelock and Neill had indulged in violence against Indian villagers and were continuing with this violence as a 'tactic' .Nana Sahib, and his associates, including Tatya Tope and Azimullah Khan, debated about what to do with the captives at Bibighar. Some of Nana Sahib's advisors had already decided to kill the captives at Bibighar, in retaliation for the murders of Indians by the advancing British forces. Some sepoys were ordered to kill the women and children who were being held, but they refused. The task of the slaughter was carried out by two or three butchers from the town aided by others unknown. Three women and three children survived by hiding under the corpses of their friends. When discovered they were thrown alive into a well along with the deceased. The details of the incident, such as who ordered the massacre, are not clear as no 'real' records exist. 


 


After losing Gwalior to the British, Tope launched a successful guerrilla campaign in the Sagar and Narmada regions and in Khandesh and Rajasthan. The British forces failed to subdue him for over a year. He was, however, betrayed into the hands of the British by his trusted friend Man Singh, Chief of Narwar, while asleep in his camp in the Paron forest. He was defeated and captured on 7 April 1859 by British General Richard John Meade's troops and taken to Shivpuri where he was tried by a military court.
Tope admitted the charges brought before him saying that he was answerable to his master Peshwa alone. He was executed at the gallows on April 18, 1859. There is a statue of Tatya Tope at the site of his execution near the present collectorate in Shivpuri town in Madhya Pradesh.

Shri Tatya Tope was not executed as per the research, truth and facts unearthed. the man who was executed instead of Tatya Tope was either Sujan Singh Subedar by one version or Narayan Rao Bhagwat by other version.