Travel Tips

The Andamans reminds us of those freedom fighters who on 10th May 1857, fought against the British rule. This is aptly described as “India’s First War Of Independence”, The British described this struggle for freedom as the Sepoy Mutiny. In order to suppress this uprising by freedom loving Indians, the British sent thousands of freedom warriors to the gallows. Many were hung them up from trees. Many others were tied to cannons and blown up, The British behaved as if they had gone mad and were out to get revenge. Their atrocities on Indian freedom fighters would have put even Nazis to shame.
The revolutionaries, who survived, were exiled for life to the Andamans so that their connection with their families and their country would be severed and their ideals would soon be forgotten by Indians. For this reason, in January 1858, the British reoccupied Port Blair, Andamans. On 10th March 1858, Jail Superintendent . J.B. Walker arrived here with the first batch of 200 freedom fighters. The second batch of 733 freedom fighter prisoners arrived in April 1868 from Karachi. They had been sentenced for life imprisonment. After this however it is not known how many thousands of freedom fighters were sent to the Andamans from the harbours of Bombay, Kolkata and Madras. Their numbers, names and addresses are not known.

Despite these atrocities the freedom fighters used to resist and fight for their self-respect and for the love of their country. Sher Ali was given life imprisonment during the Wahabi movement against the British Raj. He assassinated Lord Mayo, Viceroy of India with a knife on 8th February, 1872. He was hanged on Viper Island.