Which feature of the rebellion do the attacks described in the petiti…

Rukhsana, a researcher, studies a petition written late in 1857 by a grain trader of Bareilly. He complains that soon after the sepoys of the station rose, crowds from the nearby villages came into the town. They broke into his house and the houses of several other traders, carried away their goods and set some of the houses on fire. In the same file she finds a poster that had been put up on a city wall. Written in Urdu, it calls on the people of the town to rise and drive out the firangis.

Which feature of the rebellion do the attacks described in the petition reveal?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 1

The correct answer is Option (1) → A general defiance of all kinds of authority and hierarchy

Option (1) A general defiance of all kinds of authority and hierarchy — Correct. When ordinary people joined the revolt, moneylenders and the rich also became objects of rebel wrath. Peasants saw them as oppressors and allies of the British, so the mutiny became a rebellion with a general defiance of all kinds of authority and hierarchy.

Option (2) A call to Hindus and Muslims to unite against the firangis — Incorrect. Proclamations in Hindi, Urdu and Persian called on Hindus and Muslims to unite and rise against the firangis. That is the message of the wall poster. The attacks in the petition fell on the rich traders of the town.

Option (3) Popular pressure on old leaders to take charge of the revolt — Incorrect. In Kanpur and Jhansi, popular pressure forced Nana Sahib and the rani to lead the revolt. The petition shows no leader at all; it shows village crowds looting the houses of rich traders.

Option (4) A wish to restore the rule of the old Mughal emperor — Incorrect. The sepoys of Meerut appealed to the old Mughal emperor, and Bahadur Shah agreed to be the nominal leader. Looting and burning the houses of town traders does not show a wish for his rule.

NCERT (2026-27): “1.1 How the mutinies began …
When ordinary people began joining the revolt, the targets of attack widened. In major towns like Lucknow, Kanpur and Bareilly, moneylenders and the rich also became the objects of rebel wrath. Peasants not only saw them as oppressors but also as allies of the British.”

“In most places their houses were looted and destroyed. The mutiny in the sepoy ranks quickly became a rebellion.”

“There was a general defiance of all kinds of authority and hierarchy.”