THE ANGLO MANIPURI WAR, 1891

Captain Rundall arrived at the scene of action with the two guns. He placed his guns on the hill about 1000 yards from the Manipuri Fort and commenced to shell the Manipuri Fort. Fortyseven rounds of shrpnel and shells were fired from the guns. In the meantime, Captain Drury with his detachment of the 24th Gurkha Regiment and Lieutenant Grant with the 12th (Burma) Madras Infantry gradually approached the Manipuri Fort from the North.

Captain Carnegy with his Gurkhas approached the Manipuri Fort from the south. The guns ceased firing as the infantry approached close upto the mud fort, of the Manipuris. A regular hand to hand fight ensued. The battlefield was a bloody. On the Manipuri side 76 dead bodies were found inside the Fort and 52 outside while the mounted infantry killed many more. The dead bodies were all placed in the trenches and the mud wall knocked down and thrown over the dead bodies. 200 Manipuris held the fort and out of this eight escape.

On the side of the British one Jamadar and one sepoy were killed. Of the wounded there were two Captains and two Lieutenants, one Subedar Major, one Jamadar, one Havildar, one Naik and 5 sepoys. Brigadier General H. Collett, Officer Commanding Manipur Field Force issued a proclamation on the 19th April, 1891 from Kohima.

It declared that Manipur was guilty of open rebellion against Her Majesty, the Queen Empress of India It put the authority of the Regent Kulachandra Dhaja Singh to an end. According to the proclamation, the supreme authority throughout the State was to be exercised by him. It also declared that capital of Manipur was to be taken possession of by him. The Manipuris who were leaders or instigators of the revolt or who were connected with the treacherours murder of British subjects were to be punished.

Brigadier General H. Collett, Officer Commanding Manipur Field Force further wrote a letter to the Regent Kulachandra Dhaja Singh on the 24th April, 1891. The letter directed the Regent to release all British subjects who were detained in Manipur and to send them to Sekmai. It made the Regent reponsible for the safety of British subjects. The Regent was warned that if any harm was done to British subjects his life was to be forfeited. The Regent was further required to surrender to the General on the 27th April, 1891 at the capital of Manipur. He was to be put to trial in case of surrender. The letter clearly pointed out that there could be no promise of sparing the life of the Regent.

The three columns reached the capical of Manipur State on the 27th April, 1891 at 7 a.m. without opposition.67 The British troops found no Manipuris in the capital. The Manipuri princes with some two hundred followers took to flight leaving the capital of the State on the 26th April, 1891 by 9.30 a.m. Before they left their capital, they destroyed the magazine where arms and ammunition were kept. They also put on fire the Raja's palace. The army of the Manipur State with their arms were hiding in the scattered villages. The town inhabitants fled to the adjacent villages.

A hot chase for the Manipuri leaders was started on the morning of the 28th April, 1891 by the British. The British team which pursued the Manipuris consisted of 90 soldiers drawn equally from the King's Royal Rifles and the 12th Burma Infantry under one Officer.69 On the 30th April, 1891 the General Officer Commanding, Manipur Field Force issued a proclamation. It prohibited the possession of fire-arms and swords by the Manipuris. It directed that the fire-arms and the swords should be deposited to the Political Officer at Manipur within seven days from the date of the issue of the proclamation.

In the meantime, the Manipuri leaders of the rebellion started to surrender to the British force. On the 7th May, 1891 Thangal General surrendered. On the 9th May, 1891 the Regent Kulachandra Dhaja Singh was captured. On the 23rd May, 1891 Senapati Tikendra, 'the great tiger' was captured.71 General H. Collett, C.B. Commanding Officer, Manipur Field Force was instructed by the Government of India to place on trial all persons suspected of murder or abetment of murder or of having acted as leaders or instigators of revolt.

Accordingly, the Regent Kulachandra Dhaja Singh, his brothers Tikendrajit Singh, Angao Singh and other persons were made prisoners and placed upon their trial. The Regent and his brothers were tried by a Court composed of two of the senior Military Officers on the spot, aided by a Civil Officer with Judicial experience as Deputy Commissioner. In case the Court found the Regent and his brothers guilty of the offences for which they were tried, the Governor General in Council expressly reserved to himself the final determination of the sentences to be passed upon them.

The other accused persons except the princes were to be tried by the Chief Political Officers in Manipur. The sentences awarded in this case was subject to the confirmation by the General Officer Commanding Manipur Field Force.

The trying Court passed death sentences on the Manipuri princes Regent Kulachandra Dhaja Singh, Senapati Tikendrajit and Angou Singh for waging war against the Queen Empress of India and of abetting the murder of the Chief Commissioner of Assam and other officers. As required by the Government of India, their cases were submitted to them for confirmation. Regent Kulachandra Dhaja Singh and Senapati Tikendrajit received permission to submit petitions to the Governor General of India.

Mr. Man Mohan Ghose, Counsel for the Regent Kulachandra Dhaja Singh and Senapati Tikendrajit submitted a statement of arguments in their defence. The main thrust of the argument in defence given by Mr Ghose was that the State of Manipur was independent and therefore the rulers of Manipur State were not liable to be tried for waging war against the Queen Empress.

The Governor General of India rejected the argument of Mr. Ghose. The Governor General of India pointed out that Manipur was a subordinate and protected State. It owed its existence to the Paramount Power. The forcible resistance offered by the State of Manipur to a lawful order was therefore an offence though the resistance might carry any nomenclature whether waging war, treason, rebellion.

The Governor General of India came to the conclusion that Regent Kulachandra Dhaja Singh and Senapati Tikendrajit were liable to be tried for waging war against the Queen Empress, that they had full opportunity of being represented by counsel and that their trial was not prejucided by an irregularity of procedure. The Governor General of India did not confirm the death sentence passed on the Regent Kulachandra Dhaja Singh. He commuted the death sentence to transportation of life.

The ground for commutation of death setence was that Regent Kulachandra Dhaja Singh was man of weak character and he was notoriously under the influence of Senapati Tikendrajit, the younger brother of the Regent. His private property was to be also forfeited.

On the other hand, the death sentence passed on Senapati Tikendrajit Singh was confirmed by the Government of India saying that the conviction was right because the order to murder the British Officers was the 'joint order' of the Thangal General and the Senapati himself. The sentence passed on Angou Singh had been commuted to transportation of life accompanied with forfeiture of property on the ground that there was no evidence that he abetted the murder of the British Officers.

The Chief Political Officer tried the cases of sixteen accused persons. They were Thangal Singh allias Thangal General, Kajao Manipuri, Niranjan Subedar, Samu Singh alias Luwang Ningthou, (Colonel), Nilmani Singh alias Aiya Parel (Major), Miya Singh (Major) Lokendra Birjit Singh alias Wang Khai Lakpa, Uroo Singh Usurba, Abungjao Yenkorba, Dhojo Singh Mayenba, Noni Singh Nepra Lachahal, Trilok Singh Nongtholba Sutwal and Dhan Singh Sagol Senba. The death sentence passed on Thangal General was confirmed by the Governor General in Council on the ground that he ordered the execution of the British Officers.

The death sentences carried by Kajao Manipuri who Murdered Mr Grimwood, the Political Agent in Manipur and Niranjan Subedar, a British subject who was formerly a British Army were carried into execution. The ground of confirming the sentence on Niranjan Subedar was that he participated in armed opposition to the British troops which advanced to Manipur.

The death sentences on Colonel Samu Singh and Major Nilamani Singh alias Aiya Parel were commuted to sentences of transportation of life and forfeiture of their property. The Government of India did not uphold the conviction on the charge of abettment of murder though the charge of waging war against the Queen Empress was clearly established.

The Government of India came to the conclusion that Samu Singh and Nilmani Singfr acted under orders of superior officers. The death sentences of Miya Singh and Lokendra Birjit were also commuted to transportation of life with forfeiture of their property. The Government of India considered the sentences on the two persons sufficient punishment as they also acted under orders of the superior authority.

The Government of India commuted the death sentences passed on Uroo Singh Usurba, Abungjao Yenkorba, Chowbi Hider Machahal, Ghun Singh Kangdra, Kumba Singh Laisraba, Dhoja Singh Mayengba, Noni Singh Nepra Machahal, Trilok Singh Nongthoiba Sutwal and Dhan Singh Sugul Senba to transportation of life. The Government of India came to the conclusion that the accused acted under orders of others as they were the persons in subordinate position.

Senapati Tikendrajit Singh who was tried by a Court consisting of Colonel Mitchell, Major Ridgeway and Mr. Davis Deputy Commissioner of Naga Hills was to be hanged on the 13th August, 1891 along with Thangal General.

Elaborate arrangements for execution of the death sentences on Senapati Tikendrajit Singh and Thangal General were made by the British Officers in Manipur. Two hundred rifles of 1-2 Gurkha and 200 rifles of 43rd Gurkha Rifles paraded the gallows which were constructed in front of the west gate of the 'PAT'. It was 4-30 p.m. of the 13th August, 1891. The 400 rifles were drawn up in hollow square facing inwards. On the north side of the gallows there were one hundred and fifty 1-2 Gurkhas.

On the south side of the gallows there were one hundred and fifty rifles of 43rd Gurkha. On the west side of the gallows fifty rifles of the 1-2 Gurkha and fifty rifles of the 43rd Gurkhas took their stand. Colonel H. Evans of 43rd Gurkhas Rifles was in command of the troops.

Fifty rifles of the 1 -2 Gurkhas under a British Officer was escorting the codemned Thangal General from the Jail to the gallows. Fifty rifles of the 43rd Gurkhas Rifles under a British Officer were escorting the Senapati Tikendrajit from the Quarterguard of the 43rd Gurkha Rifles to the gallows.

The guards excorting the prisoners paraded at the jail and quarterguard of the 43rd Gurkha Rifles at 4-15 p.m. From their rcspective departing points they met in front of the Commissariat Godown. From that place they collectively marched to the gallows where they formed the fourth side of the square facing west The rifles were provided with 40 rounds of ammunition in Pouch.

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