The Battle of Saragarhi is a symbol of Sikh bravery, where merely 21 Sikh soldiers, under the leadership of Havildar Ishar Singh, not only courageously faced 10,000 Afghan soldiers but also killed around 600 Afghans before ultimately achieving martyrdom. It is counted among the five great battles of the world. Historians believe that the British rule aimed to conquer Afghanistan, which led the British to begin attacking Afghanistan by 1897.
On the border of Afghanistan, the British army controlled two forts, Gulistan and Lockhart. The Orakzai tribe desired to seize control of the Gulistan and Lockhart forts, near which there was a checkpoint named Saragarhi that served as a communication link between the two forts. The responsibility for guarding this checkpoint lay with the 36th Sikh Regiment, which had 21 soldiers stationed there. On the morning of September 12, 1897, at 9 a.m., 10,000 Afghan Pashtuns launched an attack on the Saragarhi post.
Seeing such a large number of enemies approaching, the leader of the soldiers, Havildar Ishar Singh, ordered signalman Gurmukh Singh to immediately inform the British officers stationed at Fort Lockhart about the situation and to request assistance. After receiving the signal, Colonel Hatherton stated that they would hold their position but could not send immediate help. Upon receiving this information, Ishar Singh decided that they would not abandon the checkpoint before dying. The soldiers stood by Ishar Singh and decided to fight until their last breath.
The Punjab government has constructed a Saragarhi Memorial in Firozpur to keep the memory of the Battle of Saragarhi alive. For this, Rajya Sabha MP Dr. Vikramjit Singh Sahni provided a grant of 5 million rupees from his own funds. Recently, the memorial was formally inaugurated by Cabinet Minister Dr. Baljeet Kaur. Dr. Sahni stated that the Battle of Saragarhi is a symbol of bravery, valor, and sacrifice, which instills a sense of patriotism and courage.
He appealed to the central and state governments to include a chapter on the Battle of Saragarhi in school textbooks so that students can learn about this “unique and exemplary battle.” At Guru Harikrishan Public School on Loni Road, Chairman Parvinder Singh Lakkhi and Principal Satbir Singh also conducted a workshop to raise awareness about history among the children.
