Saquib Salim
“If this question be put to any intelligent man (not to any of the faithful), amongst the natives in the Mofussil, “Who can be at the head of the conspiracy in Patna?” The answer will be, “there is no one else who can dare to be at the head of it, but the Meershahebs (Meer Abdoollah’s family) and Moulvie Ali Kareem.” Justin Finch wrote this to the Deputy Magistrate of Barh on 19 July 1857 regarding the revolt in Patna.
Unsung Heroes of Freedom Struggle
Maulvi Ali Karim, now an unknown name for most of us, was the head of the revolutionary forces at Patna in 1857. Dr. K. K. Datta, an authority on the history of Bihar writes, “… in the parties concerned in the outbreak there were Muslims and Hindus also including the Raja of Bettiah. Ali Karim was to have been elected ruler of the province, if the scheme had succeeded..”
The Magistrate of Patna also informed the Secretary of the Bengal Government on 28 June 1857, “During the week the city has been disarmed by orders of the Commissioner…. Since then the Commissioner has forwarded to him information and proofs of a conspiracy, in which the principal person seems to be Moulvie Ali Kareem, a Zamindar of the Behar district, but possessing considerable influence here, as well as in the districts of Sarun and Tirhoot.”
The planning of the revolutionaries came to light in June 1857 when Waris Ali, Jamadar of Muzaffarpur, was arrested for plotting against the English rulers. Several letters from Ali Karim were found with him and a larger conspiracy against the English East India Company in Bihar was unearthed.
In one of the letters written by Ali Karim on 12 June 1857, the day when the Indians rose up in revolt at Deogarh, to Waris Ali, it was written, “Matters are assuming a different turn now. Your immediate coming is very necessary. Today I have sent my Peada, Munsoor Ali, to you with a letter; another letter I have very carefully sent by post. Come away at sight of this, either on leave or by any means possible. Do not delay at all. Everything depends on you.
“Without your arrival, the defence of the honour, property, and life of poor people like us is impossible. At such a period, matters should be shared by you; otherwise a weak and an old man like me can do nothing. The ruling powers are straightened by the work of the ingrates, who as his wheel, poor people such as we, are doing. Bring the riding horse, etc., with you. I await your arrival every moment.”
Waris Ali was hanged by the British a few days later but Ali Karim could not be captured. V. D. Savarkar later wrote in his book, “The conduct of Waris Ali, the police Jamadar of the Tirhut district, appeared suspicious and the authorities suddenly surrounded his house and made him prisoner. This Jamadar in the English service was just then writing a letter to a Revolutionary leader at Gaya, called Ali Karim!
On the evidence of the Revolutionary correspondence seized in his house, he was, soon after, sentenced to death. When he was brought to the scaffold, he shouted, “If there is any real devotee of Swaraj here, let him liberate me!” But, before his request could be heard by the devotees, his lifeless body was hanging from the scaffold!”
The Commissioner of Patna ordered the arrest of Karim Ali on 2 July 1857. But could not capture him. The Commissioner reported, “When I received intelligence from the Magistrate of Mozufferpore of the capture of Waris Ali, and the discovery in his possession of Ali Kareem’s letters, I sent immediately for the Magistrate, Mr. Lowis, and for Dewan Moula Buksh. I told the Magistrate and begged him to go off at once with some of Captain Rattray’s troopers to Doomree, where Ali Kareem resides, and seize him. All the necessary orders were given; Moula Buksh remained in my library; the Magistrate went off to his house to make preparations, and there told his Nazir.
“After about three-quarters of an hour, or perhaps an hour, from the time I first gave the notice to the Magistrate, Mr. Lowis and Captain Rattray started in a buggy, with ten troopers. During all or the greater part of this interval, the Nazir was unobserved; he overtook the party two or three miles from Patna. On reaching Ali Kareem’s house, it was found that he had gone off on an elephant, with some attendants, just before the party arrived.”
Savarkar gave the account a bit differently. He writes, “When Mr.Lowis, the head of the detachment, came up to Ali Karim, the latter mounted his elephant and an exciting race began! But, the spectators soon dropped their impartiality and exceeded the bounds of fair play. The neighbouring villagers, seeing the Feringhis chasing a countryman, began to harass the former, misdirected them on their way, and, at last, even stole one of their ponies!
The English officer “irritated by fatigue and despair,” left it to his Indian servant to chase the swift Karim and returned the next day, not having achieved his task. The servant also, being an English-hater, left Karim alone and came back to his master with a sorry face.”
The plan to lead a revolt on 3 July 1857 at Patna could not materialise after this. Ali Karim remained in close collaboration with Kunwar Singh of Arrah and kept leading the fight against the British.
Datta writes, “Ali Karim also played an important part in anti-British activities of this period both in Bihar and outside it. It is well known that Ali Karim, at the time of his flight from Bihar, stayed for some time with Kunwar Singh, and had, probably, an earlier contact with him. At a later stage Amar Singh, with whom he was in regular correspondence during his exile from Bihar, wrote to him to come to Bihar with his forces and join hands with him in driving out the English. I
t is thus evident that their efforts formed part of the general movement. But for certain unforeseen and incalculable factors, even the rising of the 3rd July 1857, which was, inter alia a product of the joint efforts of some, would have ended in disastrous consequences for the British Government.”
Ali Karim moved to Gorakhpur and Varanasi with the revolutionaries. Datta points out, “A second and a distinct phase of Ali Karim’s activities opened up after his flight from Bihar. We get some idea of his activities in U. P. and his plans for re-entering Bihar, from some references in the reports of the Divisional Commissioner, Patna, and Magistrates of Azamgarh, Gorakhpur, etc. The very fact that the authorities were apprehensive of his plan of returning to Bihar to act in alliance with Amar Singh is a testimony to the potential dangers of his proposed move.”
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The British could never catch Ali Karim, confiscated his properties, and declared a reward to capture him. The Commissioner of Patna informed the government, “Every possible exertion has been made to secure the apprehension of the criminal Ali Kareem, but hitherto without success: 2,000 rupees have been offered for his arrest.”
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