question_answer

Why were the Indian sepoys discontented in the British army?

Answer:

There was a lot of discontentment among the Indian soldiers. Their self-respect had been trampled upon by the British. The British army consisted of more Indian soldiers than British. But their emoluments were very low in comparison with those of British soldiers. The Indian soldiers' chances of promotion were negligible. The high ranking posts were reserved for the British soldiers. The highest rank for an Indian was the rank of a subedar. Indian soldiers were against overseas service as travel across the seas meant loss of caste for them. The Company made it compulsory for soldiers to fight overseas when required. Moreover, they were not given bhatta or extra allowance to fight overseas. The soldiers were not allowed to wear marks like a talk, beard or a turban. The soldiers believed that the British were trying to pollute their castes and convert them to Christianity. The soldiers also reacted to the anger of the peasants in the villages. The Indian soldiers highly outnumbered the British soldiers. So, the sepoys became bold enough to think of a revolt because of their numerical strength. There was a rumour among the Indian sepoys that the British rule was going to end. It was believed that the British rule was destined to last for 100 years only and a century had passed since the Battle of Plassey in 1757. This made the sepoys more confident.