Read the following statements and mark the correct option:
Assertion (A): Peer Ali Khan was executed during the 1857 Revolt.
Reason (R): He was a British informant who switched sides during the uprising.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
Correct Answer: A is true, but R is false.
Explanation:
- Statement (A) is true: Peer Ali Khan was a bookseller in Patna and was one of the prominent leaders of the rebellion in Bihar during the Revolt of 1857. He was publicly hanged on July 7, 1857, on charges of rebelling against the British government.
- Reason (R) is false: Peer Ali Khan was not a British informer. On the contrary, he was a staunch patriot. He refused to bow down to the British until his very last breath. His words before his execution were: 'You may hang us, but from our blood, even more warriors will be born.'
Peer Ali Khan and the Revolt of 1857 (Bihar):
- Leadership: He led a large-scale rebellion against the British in Patna on July 3, 1857.
- Connection with Kunwar Singh: In Bihar, while Peer Ali Khan took command in the city of Patna, Babu Kunwar Singh led the rebellion in Jagdishpur (Arrah).
- Martyrdom: He was arrested on the orders of Commissioner William Taylor and was hanged without any proper trial.
Important Questions for Upcoming Examinations:
- Question: Who was the Commissioner of Patna during the Revolt of 1857?
- Answer: William Taylor.
- Question: Which was the main center of the 1857 Revolution in Bihar?
- Answer: Patna and Jagdishpur (Arrah).
- Question: Who is known as the 'Lion of Bihar' (Bihar Ka Sher) and gave a tough fight to the British in 1857?
- Answer: Babu Kunwar Singh.