| Consider the following statements: |
| 1. Lord Dalhousie's Government passed the General Service Enlistment Act which made the sepoy?s to serve anywhere as required by the Government. |
| 2. The Post Office Act passed by the Government of Lord Canning withdrew the sepoy's previlege of free postage. |
| Which of the statements given above is/are correct? |
A) 1 only
B) 2 only
C) Both 1 and 2
D) 1 Neither nor 2
Correct Answer: B
Solution :
[b] A major cause of resentment that arose ten months prior to the outbreak of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 was the General Service Enlistment Act of 25 July 1856. As noted above, men of the Bengal Army had been exempted from overseas service. Specifically, they were enlisted only for service in territories to which they could march. Governor-General Lord Dalhousie saw this as an anomaly, since all sepoys of the Madras and Bombay Armies and the six "General Service" battalions of the Bengal Army had accepted an obligation to serve overseas if required. As a result, the burden of providing contingents for active service in Burma, readily accessible only by sea, and China had fallen disproportionately on the two smaller Presidency Armies. As signed into effect by Lord Canning, Dalhousie's successor as Governor-General, the act required only new recruits to the Bengal Army to accept a commitment for general service. However, serving high-caste sepoys were fearful that it would be eventually extended to them, as well as preventing sons following fathers into an army with a strong tradition of family service. Withdrawal of free postage facility to sepoys following the enactment of Post Office Act of 1854 was also one of the causes of the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
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