Lucknow: Graves and plagues of British soldiers related to the 1857 war of Independence are now under threat.
An activist and historian, Amaresh Misra, has launched a campaign under the ‘Rashtriya Apmaan Virodhi Abhiyan’ and is preparing to destroy graves and plaques of British soldiers in Lucknow.
Two days ago, a motley group of “activists” marched to the La Martiniere to destroy the grave of Major Hodsun who is said to have killed 500 Indian soldiers and the sons of Bahadur Shah Zafar at the Khooni Darwaza in Delhi.
Major William Hodsun was the founder of the famous ‘Hodsun Horse’, later known as 4Horse, a regiment of Indian Army.
He died on 11 March 1858, due to wounds sustained in battle while storming the Begum’s Palace at Lucknow. His body was buried in the garden of La Martiniere College, Lucknow.
Carlyle McFarland , principal of the La Martiniere school, called in the police when Amaresh Misra marched in with his supporters and their attempts to destroy the grave were thwarted. They have demanded that the atrocities unleashed by Hodsun should be inscribed on his grave by June 30.
