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{{Short description|Soldier of the Bengal Regiment}}
{{Lead too short|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix = [[Havildar]]
| name = Rajab Ali
| honorific_suffix = [[Khan (title)|Khan]]
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| image = রজব আলী.jpg
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| caption = Idealized portrait of Rajab Ali painted in 1930's
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| birth_place = [[Sandwip]]
| disappeared_date = 9 January 1858
| disappeared_place = [[Karimganj district|Karimganj]], [[Sylhet Division|Sylhet district]], [[North-East Frontier]]
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| movement = [[Sepoy Mutiny]]
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{{History of Bengal}}
{{History of Bangladesh}}{{Campaignbox Indian Rebellion of 1857}}
'''Rajab Ali Khan''', also known as '''[[Havildar]] Rajab Ali''', was a soldier of the [[Bengal Regiment]] who defected during the [[Sepoy Revolt]] of 1857. He commanded the rebels at [[Chittagong]] and was chased by British forces as far as [[Sylhet Division|Sylhet]] and [[Manipur (princely state)|Manipur]].<ref>{{Citation|date=23 March 2020|title=১৮৫৭ সালের সিপাহী বিদ্রোহ: আমাদের প্রথম স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ ও একজন|publisher=[[Samakal]]|language=bn}}</ref>

== Description ==
{{expand section|additional citations|date=July 2022}}
The identity of Havildar Rajab Ali is quite unclear. Many historians and researchers consider him to be a resident of [[Sandwip]], an island off the coast of [[Chittagong]]. At a young age, he joined the [[Bengal Regiment]] as a [[sepoy]] and was later promoted to a 4th Company [[Havildar]]. The 34th Regiment of [[Bengal Native Infantry]] had 120 havildars only. At that time, he was living at the Parade Ground army camp near [[Pahartali Thana|Pahartali]], which was under the charge of Captain PHK Dewaal.

== Rebellion ==
On 12 November 1857, four hundred sepoys of the 34th Regiment of [[Bengal Native Infantry]] called for rebellion against the [[East India Company|British East India Company]]. Among the sepoys of Chittagong, the sepoys of [[Barrackpore]] were also present. It is thought that it was the latter who arrived in Chittagong to spread the revolt. The sepoys attacked the armoury and treasury, collecting weapons and equipment.<ref>Further Papers (Number 9 in continuation of Number 7), Insurrection in the East Indies, Presented to both the Houses of Parliament, Enclosure in Number 5. BLOC; Special Narrative of Events Dated 5 December 1857, p. 326-27, WBSA.</ref> After attacking the British jail, they freed all the prisoners. Rajab Ali Khan commanded the 2nd, 3rd and 4th regiments along with sepoy Jamal Khan.<ref>{{Cite web|language=bn|title=জেলার ইতিহাস|trans-title=District's history|url=http://www.chittagong.gov.bd/site/page/c53c94f1-2144-11e7-8f57-286ed488c766/%E0%A6%9C%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0%20%E0%A6%87%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B9%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B8 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200627020029/http://www.chittagong.gov.bd/site/page/c53c94f1-2144-11e7-8f57-286ed488c766/%E0%A6%9C%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0%20%E0%A6%87%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B9%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B8 |archive-date=27 June 2020 |access-date=8 June 2020 |website=[[Chittagong District]]}}</ref> At that time, many officers faced casualties.<ref>{{Cite news |last=P |first=Jhimli Mukherjee |date= 10 June 2009|title=Rare 1857 reports on Bengal uprisings {{!}} Kolkata News - Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/rare-1857-reports-on-bengal-uprisings/articleshow/4637780.cms |access-date=2021-02-04 |website=The Times of India |language=en}}</ref> In panic, the British soldiers took shelter in the ships at sea.<ref>Judicial Proceedings Number 384, 17 September 1857, Government of Bengal, WBSA.</ref> Chittagong was independent of British rule for thirty hours. After attacking the barracks, the rebels left Chittagong with elephants, ammunition and other necessary supplies though at one point they did become weak due to lack of supplies.

The rebels decided to take refuge in a safe area of [[Twipra Kingdom|independent Tripura]]. Havildar Rajab Ali Khan took over the management of the rebel sepoys. A report by Captain PHK Dewaal of the [[Bengal Regiment]] quoted local sources as saying that Rajab Ali had crossed the [[Feni River]] with the rebel forces towards the Tripura border.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Orlich |first=Leopold von |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O6GNNQQIeYIC&dq=The+Mutiny+of+Indian+Army&pg=PA22 |title=The Military Mutiny in India: Its Origin and Its Results |date=1858 |publisher=T. and W. Boone, 29, New Bond Street |language=en}}</ref> But before that, the British commissioner of Chittagong sent a message to the Maharaja of Tripura [[Ishan Chandra Manikya]] to repel the rebel sepoys. The king of Tripura joined hands with the British and made preparations to stop the rebels.<ref>{{Cite web |last=admin |date=2018-01-09 |title=১৮৫৭ সালের মহাবিদ্রোহ, উপনিবেশবাদ এবং হাবিলদার রজব আলি |url=http://muktobuli.com/%e0%a7%a7%e0%a7%ae%e0%a7%ab%e0%a7%ad-%e0%a6%b8%e0%a6%be%e0%a6%b2%e0%a7%87%e0%a6%b0-%e0%a6%ae%e0%a6%b9%e0%a6%be%e0%a6%ac%e0%a6%bf%e0%a6%a6%e0%a7%8d%e0%a6%b0%e0%a7%8b%e0%a6%b9-%e0%a6%89%e0%a6%aa/ |access-date=2021-02-04 |website=Muktobuli {{!}} মুক্তবুলি |language=}}</ref> The rebels reached the gateway of independent Tripura on 2 December via [[Sitakunda]]. They saw that many armed soldiers were waiting there to stop them. The rebels were forced to move towards the hilly areas of [[Comilla Division|British Tripura (Comilla)]], though the army of Tripura chased them.<ref>{{cite book|last=Dastidar|first=Purnendu|language=bn|title=স্বাধীনতা সংগ্রামে চট্টগ্রাম|publisher=Baighar Prakashani|date=October 1967|trans-title=Chittagong in the independence struggle}}</ref>

The rebels then crossed the inaccessible road and reached [[Sylhet Division|Sylhet]] near the [[Manipur (princely state)|British protectorate of Manipur]]. Major Baing of the [[Sylhet Light Infantry]] in the border area attacked the rebels there. In a fierce battle Major Baing was killed and the British forces under him were defeated.<ref>Rethinking 1857, Sabyasachi Bhattacharya, Indian Council of Historical Research Orient Longman, 2007 - India</ref> Even then the British and the local forces fought side by side. Many people died on their side in a few battles. Survivors of the attack eventually had to seek refuge in the nearby mountains.<ref name=sen/>

== Defeat ==
Finally, on 9 January 1858, Rajab Ali Khan fought his last battle against British forces at Malegarh in [[Karimganj district|Karimganj]].<ref name=sen>{{Cite book |last=Sen|first=Satyen|language=bn|trans-title=Story of the great rebellion|title=মহাবিদ্রোহের কাহিনী|pages=155–159}}</ref> His forces had crossed the hills near the [[Kachari kingdom|Kachari Kingdom]] and took up position at Sabashpur near Mohanpur Tea Garden. The British forces were notified of this through the local [[Zamindars of Bengal|zamindars]] and launched a surprise attack led by Lieutenant Ross. Rajab Ali Khan fought with a small number of his troops but was defeated in the face of heavy casualties. 70 sepoys were killed in the battle and many more were injured. Along with Rajab Ali Khan, three or four survived by the end of the battle. In the face of continued pursuit by British forces, they went into hiding hid in the deep hilly forests near Manipur.<ref>SEPOY MUTINY AND THE REVOLT OF 1857, RC Majumder, Calcutta, 1957, page-88</ref> The final report of the British forces said that they could not be found. Havildar Rajab Ali Khan's life came to an end in the public eye.<ref>{{Cite news|date=18 November 2017|title=সিপাহী বিপ্লব ও হাবিলদার রজব আলীর চট্টগ্রাম|trans-title=Sepoy revolt and Rajab Ali's Chittagong|language=bn|url=https://www.dailysangram.com/post/308042-%E0%A6%B8%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B9%E0%A7%80-%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%AA%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%AC-%E0%A6%93-%E0%A6%B9%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%A6%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%9C%E0%A6%AC-%E0%A6%86%E0%A6%B2%E0%A7%80%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%9A%E0%A6%9F%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%9F%E0%A6%97%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%AE|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171122162705/https://www.dailysangram.com/post/308042-%E0%A6%B8%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B9%E0%A7%80-%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%AA%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%AC-%E0%A6%93-%E0%A6%B9%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%A6%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%9C%E0%A6%AC-%E0%A6%86%E0%A6%B2%E0%A7%80%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%9A%E0%A6%9F%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%9F%E0%A6%97%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%AE|archive-date=22 November 2017|access-date=8 June 2020|publisher=[[The Daily Sangram]]}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{British colonial campaigns}}

[[Category:Indian Rebellion of 1857]]
[[Category:Bengal Presidency]]
[[Category:Twipra Kingdom]]
[[Category:History of Chittagong]]
[[Category:History of Sylhet]]
[[Category:Military history of the British East India Company]]
[[Category:Rebellions in India]]
[[Category:Rebellions in Asia]]
[[Category:Military of British India]]
[[Category:Wars involving the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:1857 in India]]
[[Category:1858 in India]]
[[Category:Battles involving the Kingdom of Great Britain]]
[[Category:Rebellions against the British Empire]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1858]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1857]]

Revolt of Rajab Ali - Revision history

Pruthviraj: started bio