Even worse was the harrowing brutality of what happened after the Indian Uprising of 1857, when Indian troops in Meerut, Delhi, Lucknow and beyond revolted, ostensibly over the introduction of a new Enfield rifle. A rumour had spread that the cartridges for the gun, the ends of which had to be bitten off before loading, were lubricated with a mixture of pigs’ and cows’ lard – the ingesting of which was considered offensive by Muslims and Hindus. But events quickly escalated beyond the issue, with various parties responding to mounting dissatisfaction about British India and seizing the
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