Which of the following statements is correct?

Statement A- The soldiers patiently requested Bahadur Shah Zafar to give them his blessings for the revolt against the Britishers.

Statement B- Bahadur Shah Zafar happily and willingly gave his blessings to the soldiers for the revolt against the Britishers.

Neither of them is correct.

The correct answer is Option 4 - Neither of them is correct.

Given options:

Option 1- Only statement A is correct.
Option 2- Only statement B is correct.
Option 3- Both statements are correct
Option 4- Neither of them is correct. (Answer)

Given statements:

Statement A- The soldiers patiently requested Bahadur Shah Zafar to give them his blessings for the revolt against the Britishers. (Incorrect)

Statement B- Bahadur Shah Zafar happily and willingly gave his blessings to the soldiers for the revolt against the Britishers. (Incorrect)

Explanation:

Late in the afternoon of 10 May 1857, the sepoys in the cantonment of Meerut broke out in mutiny. It began in the lines of the native infantry, spread very swiftly to the cavalry and then to the city. The ordinary people of the town and surrounding villages joined the sepoys. The sepoys captured the bell of arms where the arms and ammunition were kept and proceeded to attack white people, and to ransack and burn their bungalows and property. Government buildings – the record office, jail, court, post office, treasury, etc. – were destroyed and plundered. The telegraph line to Delhi was cut. As darkness descended, a group of sepoys rode off towards Delhi.

The sepoys arrived at the gates of the Red Fort early in the morning on 11 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 Englishmen there, because they asked us to bite bullets that were coated with the fat of cows and pigs with our teeth. This has corrupted the faith of Hindus and Muslims alike.’’ Another group of sepoys also entered Delhi, and the ordinary people of the city joined them. Europeans were killed in large numbers; the rich of Delhi were attacked and looted. It was clear that Delhi had 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. 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.