How did Bahadur Shah join the revolt and extended his blessing to rebels?
(i) Arrival of first group of sepoys in Delhi : The sepoys of the cantonment of Meerut arrived at the gates of the Red Fort early in the morning on 11th May. It was the month of Ramzan the Muslim holy month of prayer and fasting. The old Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah, had just finished his prayers and meal before the sun rose and the fast began. He heard the commotion at the gates. The sepoys who had gathered under his window told him, “We have come from Meerut after killing all the English men there, because they asked us to bite bullets that were coated with the fat of cows and pigs with our teeth. This has corruped the faith of Hindus and Muslims alike.”
(ii) Reaching of second group of sepoys : Another group of sepoys also entered Delhi and the ordinary people of the city joined them. Europeans were killed in large numbers and the rich people of Delhi were attacked and looted.
(iii) End of British control over Delhi for some time : It was clear that Delhi has gone out of British control. Some sepoys rode into the Red Fort, without observing the elaborate court etiquette expected of them. They demanded that the emperor give them his blessings.
(iv) Bahadur Shah’s blessing to the rebels : Surrounded by the sepoys, Bahadur Shah had no other option but to comply. The revolt thus acquired a kind of legitimacy because it could now be carried on in the name of the Mughal emperor.
