In 1857, twelve rebels were hanged in a row at Peshawar, with cannons all around them. Why was such punishment carried out in the open and not in enclosed spaces?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → To instil fear among people through a performance of terror
Option (1) To show the public that rebels had a fair trial — Incorrect. Fairness was not the aim. The clamour of the time was for vengeance, and the scene was a show of power.
Option (2) To instil fear among people through a performance of terror — Correct. This was <strong>not routine punishment but the performance of terror</strong>. To <strong>instil fear among people</strong>, it had to be performed in the open.
Option (3) To follow the old Mughal custom of punishing rebels publicly — Incorrect. The British did not stage these hangings to follow a Mughal custom. They did it to frighten people into obedience.
Option (4) To let journals check the number of rebels put to death — Incorrect. Journals did print such pictures. They spread fear and the mood of vengeance; counting the dead was no part of it.
NCERT (2026-27): “5.4 The performance of terror … |