Blood for Motherland

‘Earth is sunk below the water, and the men have gone up to the sky; the dog is eating the wall.’ Sounds like the words of a lunatic, does it not? Well, this is all Abdullah had to say in defence of murdering Sir John Paxton Norman, the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court in Colonial India.

Sir John Paxton Norman, the acting Chief Justice of Calcutta, Image Source- Luminous Lint

It was another ordinary day in the province of Calcutta in 1871. As usual, Sir John Paxton Norman was all set for work. Abdullah was eagerly waiting for the arrival of John Paxton near the steps of Calcutta Town Hall. As soon as John Paxton appears on the scene, Abdullah stabs him to death.

British administration wasted no time in arresting Abdullah and labelling him as a Wahabi fanatic through the news. The assassination of Paxton brought a rising wave of panic among the British rulers. Ever since the Revolt of 1857, The British government was on high alert to look out for possible rebels or revolts. The fear of losing control over the flourishing colony of India made Britishers paranoid. Any potential threat was trampled immediately.

The fact that Colonial India thrived on the germ of divide and rule is not new to us. Britishers were successful in ruling us because of the numerous conspiracies and rumours they planted into the hearts of Indians. By creating a permanent rift between the Hindus and Muslims, the British administration continued to sustain their envisioned images of the unruly Muslims. One such subsect of Islam that rose to the surface was the Wahabis. They were the unwanted thorn on the path of the British government. John Paxton was especially infamous for imposing heavy sentences on the Wahabis.

The investigation of John Paxton's assassination was indeed not satisfactory for the British administration. Abdullah's jumbled mess of answers had only managed to frustrate Justice Paul. He even tried to lure Abdullah with a reduced sentence, but he was loyal enough to keep mum. It did not sit well with the already paranoid British administration. They were sure that a larger conspiracy was to unfold following the assassination of Paxton. It pushed the British government to issue a notice demanding to bring to light the whereabouts of Abdullah's friends and family, who might be a part of the suspected larger conspiracy.

Their suspicions turned into reality when Mayo was murdered in the same year at Andaman. Coincidentally, his assassin was Sher Ali Afridi, who was the brother of Abdullah and a staunch Wahabi.

Under the pressure of divide and rule, the political climate of 19th century India suffered a typical yet widespread notion of suspicion and unrest, especially after the failure of the Revolt of 1857. Everyone, whether a Hindu or Muslim, was zealously fighting for the freedom of India. Therefore, the increase in the number of attacks on the British rulers.

The power of myths and narratives is such that they can paint any picture as divine or evil. Perhaps it is this power that labels the Indians as uncivilised in the eyes of the Britishers. The problem behind this idea lies in the very heart of the colonial belief that their culture is superior in the entire world.

Therefore, it becomes the White Man's burden to **civilise the colonised masses. This thought alone is the root cause of unprecedented violence and the need to dominate India as a colony for over 200 years.

While judging the colonial history from an Indian point of view many would agree to testify the fact that these acts of rebellion were the only known forms of expression until the arrival of Gandhi, who preached the ideology of non-violence as the sole method to attain independence.

It is indeed sad that many radicals such as Abdullah either go unnoticed or are misunderstood by the people. Many unknown and unnamed freedom fighters have contributed to the freedom struggle who go unrecognised. Commemorating them and celebrating them is our way of awarding them the recognition that is otherwise denied.

Abdullah and the instigating notice issued against him, Image Source- Flickr