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| Queen Victoria. stockphoto.com |
Honoring psychopaths and maniacs in the British India army is not new either to the British government in London or to the British royalty. In April 1919, when Brig Gen Reginald Dyer opened fire without any warning on the unarmed innocent crowd in the garden- Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar of Punjab and committed the worst massacre in the British-India history, the then govt. censored the news to avoid getting a bad name, The massacre resulted in the death of more than 1000 people (Unofficial report) and more than that number were injured. No ambulance service and no medical aids to the innocent victims were allowed by Dyer; the victims included women and children.
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| Cao. William Hodson tornosindia.com/ |
Above image: Cap. William Hodson, 1857.Several months later after freeing Delhi from the rebels in Sept. 1857, Hodson in March 1858 went to Lucknow to visit the palace (Kothi) to lay his hands on the booty of loot - jewelry, etc. He was shot dead near the entrance. William Stephen Raikes Hodson was buried in the Red house in La Martiniere, Lucknow,UP.......................
Coming back to murderer Dyer, back home a section of the British society, particularly women - were busy collecting funds along with a local news paper - Morning Post newspaper, a conservative pro-Imperialistic newspaper, which later merged with the Daily Telegraph.To raise funds for the hero of Jallianwala Bagh, the celebrated news paper made an appeal for generous donation from the public, eventually they received enough funds. Gen. Dyer was given warm reception on his return to England, where he was received like a Roman war hero and awarded a purse of £26,000 (approximately £1,000,000 in terms of 2013 PPP) for his patriotic service to the nation. Quite disgusting is popular poet and novelist Rudyard Kipling hailed Butcher of Amritsar, General Reginald Dyer, as “the man who saved India”.
Way back in the aftermath of the great rebellion of 1857 an irrational and dishonest psychopath called William Hodson was honored posthumously by Queen Victoria. Hodson was greedy and looted jewelry etc in the palaces after wars. He also misappropriated English company's funds and later was exonerated by the company's board. Hodson was not charged with any war crime, so was Brig. Gen. Reginald Dyer in the 1919s and later period. They were out Scot Free.
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| Hampton court near London. .viator.com |
Above image: A grace-and-favour home is a residential property owned by a British monarch by virtue of his or her position as head of state and leased, often rent-free, to persons as part of an employment package or in gratitude for past services rendered to uphold the dignity of the country. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_and_favour ......................
During the reign of East India company in the Indian subcontinent, it was mired in various controversies and misdeeds - corruption, nepotism and abuse of power vested in them by the British Crown. Their dishonesty, atrocities, racial disparity and exploitation of Indian labor and natural resources made the natives sick and at one stage it led to a big rebellion in May 1857. The snowballing riots and rampages across certain northern states continued unabated for a pretty long time. The hell-bent revolt by the Indian soldiers and natives shook the basic foundation of the empire and, at last, the British Crown took over the administration after normalcy had been restored. During the rebellion of 1857 (formerly known as Sepoy mutiny) tens of thousands of natives were killed by the Company's army. Freeing Delhi from the long siege in September 1857 gave a bit of relief to the British.
Cap. William Hodson, an impulsive and hot tempered officer with the East India Company played a critical role in freeing Delhi from the rebels in 1857. Apart, he captured the last Mogul king Bahadur Shah Zafar in his palace and his two sons and a grandson hiding on the outskirt of Delhi in the tomb of Humayun. While bringing them back to Delhi, near the entrance gate, without taking any orders from his superior officer, shot them dead after stripping them naked and taking away their personal gold jewelry.
While many conscientious Englishmen considered it a dishonorable act and condemned Hodson's arbitrary action, Queen Victoria looked at Hodson's swift action against the last Indian rulers ( they formed last stumbling blocks) in a different perspective. To her, Cap. Hodson, risking his life before the belligerent crowd, saved the dignity and honor of Britain. The Union jack would fly at higher height across the Indian land. In recognition of his valor and courage in the face of danger, Her Majesty Queen Victoria in 1860 honored Major Hodson posthumously. She granted his widow a Grace and favour apartment at Hampton Court Palace "in consideration of the distinguished service of your late husband in India"Grace & Favour
https://www.navrangindia.in/2022/02/the-british-government-and-queen.html
https://www.navrangindia.in/2022/02/the-british-government-and-queen.html
https://thewire.in/history/a-beleaguered-britain-takes-comfort-in-nostalgia-for-empire
