British soldiers Graves vandalization

[Spring Onion]

Britons skip India visit after protests
Agencies
Published: September 26, 2007, 13:23


Lucknow, India: A group of British historians and retired soldiers visiting India have ditched their plans to visit a historic site in the 1857 revolt against colonial rule after protests from Indian nationalists.

A small band of protesters had pelted their bus with garbage when they arrived in Lucknow in north India on Monday. The local government warned the Britons to stay inside their hotel for fear of further attacks, and posted policemen outside.

Some of the group left for Kolkata on Wednesday morning. The rest plan to leave later in the day.

Stuck inside their hotel rooms, none of them got to see the Residency of Lucknow, the site of the Siege of Lucknow -- a key event in what is known in India as the First War of Independence and in Britain as the Sepoy Mutiny.

The group, which includes descendants of the British soldiers who fought and died during the uprising by Indian soldiers, said they had planned to commemorate both the British and Indian dead in a battle which they said saw savagery on both sides.

The small band of protesters -- sometimes outnumbered by the journalists and cameramen covering them -- were led by a local leader of the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, India's main opposition party.

Some activists forced their way into the Residency on Tuesday and attempted to deface the graves of the British soldiers and their family members, who were among the 3,000 killed during the 1857 siege.

Other protesters heckled two white American tourists as they visited the Residency, mistaking them to be British. Police had to intervene, said Chandra Bhanu, district magistrate.

Gulfnews: Britons skip India visit after protests

 

[Spring Onion]

Bid to vandalise graves in Lucknow Residency foiled
IANS
Published: September 25, 2007, 23:45


Lucknow: The proposed visit by a 42-member British group to the historic Residency in Lucknow to pay homage to their kin who were besieged and killed in the building during the 1857 Indian war of independence (referred to by the British as Sepoy Mutiny) may be abandoned with the Britons receiving a hostile reception on their arrival in the city.

The Bharatiya Janata Party and its affiliated organisations were staging protests well before the group turned up and the demonstrations spilled over to the Lucknow railway station, where the visitors arrived by a train from Gwalior on Monday evening. Some people flung refuse and bottles at the bus carrying the group from the railway station to their hotel.

Meanwhile, Bajrang Dal men forced their way into the Residency cemetery yesterday and attempted to deface graves of fallen British soldiers.



"However, tight security arrangements saved the situation from taking an ugly turn," said district magistrate Chandra Bhanu.

"Though we have no objection to their visit as ordinary tourists, we can't take any chances and expose them to any kind of risk under the prevailing volatile circumstances," Bhanu said, adding that the visitors had been advised to keep away from the Residency and other sensitive historical sites.

"The group leader has clarified that they have no celebration on their agenda, but the protestors have created such an atmosphere that even common citizens tend to believe the canard spread by them," Bhanu added.

A large police contingent, including riot police, has been detailed under the command of an additional district magistrate to ensure the safety of the Britons, who remained holed up in their hotel.

On Monday, BJP activists led by Lalji Tandon staged a demonstration outside the Residency, which became the centre stage of the 1857 battle that left thousands dead.

About 200 graves of those who died in action are still preserved in the Residency precinacts by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), and the visitors had sought to pay their homage at the cemetery.The delegation is led by Sir Mark Allen Havelock, the great-great grandson of Major General Havelock, who was responsible for crushing the revolt.

A descendant of Maj Gen Henry Lawrence who died while defending the Residency is also a part of the group that insists they are here to simply commemorate the death of their kin. Well-known author Rosie Llewellyn-Jones - widely regarded as an authority on Lucknow's history - is a member of the group.

Gulfnews: Bid to vandalise graves in Lucknow Residency foiled