Read the passage and answer the questions:

Rumours and prophecies played a part in moving people to action. As we saw, the sepoys who had arrived in Delhi from Meerut had told Bahadur Shah about bullets coated with the fat of cows and pigs and biting these bullets would corrupt their caste and religion. They were referring to the cartridges of the Enfield rifles which had just been given to them. The British tried to explain to the sepoys that this was not the case but the rumour that the new cartridges were greased with fat of cows and pigs spread like wild fire across the sepoy lines of North India.

Who among the following initiated the Revolt of 1857?

Sepoys

The correct answer is Option (3) → Sepoys

The revolt of 1857 was initiated by the Sepoys.

How the mutinies began:

The sepoys began their action with a signal:

1. In many places it was the firing of the evening gun or the sounding of the bugle.
2. They first seized the bell of arms and plundered the treasury.
3. They then attacked government buildings – the jail, treasury, telegraph office, record room, bungalows – burning all records.

Everything and everybody connected with the white man became a target. Proclamations in Hindi, Urdu and Persian were put up in the cities calling upon the population, both Hindus and Muslims, to unite, rise and exterminate the firangis.