The 1837 Poonch Revolt, also known as the 1837 Poonch Rebellion, was a revolt in the princely state of Poonch against the

Dogra The Dogras or Dogra people, are an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group in India and Pakistan consisting of the Dogri language speakers. They live predominantly in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir, and in adjoining areas of Punjab, Himachal ...

dynasty's rulers,

Dhian Singh Raja Dhian Singh (22 August 1796 – 15 September 1843) was the longest serving wazir of the Sikh Empire, during the reign of Maharajah Ranjit Singh, and four of his successors. He held the office for twenty five years, from 1818 up till his death ...

and Raja Gulab Singh. The revolt took place in the Poonch Division of Pakistani dependent territory of

Azad Kashmir Azad Jammu and Kashmir (; ), abbreviated as AJK and colloquially referred to as simply Azad Kashmir, is a region administered by Pakistan as a nominally self-governing entitySee: * * * and constituting the western portion of the larger Ka ...

. The rebellion was led by the Sudhan tribe led by Sardar Shams Khan Sudhan and his close accomplices, Mali Khan and Sabz Ali Khan.

History

In 1837, after Hari Singh Nalwa's death in the Battle of Jamrud, the Sudhan tribe of

Poonch Poonch, sometimes also spelt Punchh, may refer to: * Historical Poonch District, a district in the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir in British India, split in 1947 between: ** Poonch district, India ** Poonch Division, in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan, ...

rose in revolt with other tribes and Pahari-speaking people. The insurgency was led by Shams Khan, chief of the Sudhan tribeSir Lepel H. Griffin, ''The Panjab Chiefs.'', (T.C. McCarthy, Chronicle Press, 1865), Page 59

/ref> and former confidential follower of

. Shams Khan Sudhan's betrayal of the regime was taken personally;

Gulab Singh Gulab Singh Jamwal (1792–1857) was the founder of Dogra dynasty and the first Maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, the largest princely state under the British Raj, which was created after the defeat of the Sikh Empire in t ...

was given the task of suppressing the rebellion. After defeating the insurgents in

Hazara Hazara may refer to: Ethnic groups * The Hazaras, a Persian-speaking people of Afghanistan and Pakistan * Aimaq Hazara, Aimaq's subtribe of Hazara origin * Hazarawals, a Hindko-speaking people of the Hazara region of northern Pakistan * Hazar ...

and the Murree hills, Gulab Singh stayed at Kahuta to subdue the insurgents. Shams Khan Sudhan and his nephew were betrayed and were decapitated as they slept. Meanwhile, the lieutenants were captured, flayed alive, and put to death. Contemporary British commentators stated that the local population suffered immensely. Many rebels were captured and treated vengefully — their hands and feet were severed. The skin of Mali Khan and Sabz Ali Khan, two of Shams's close accomplices, was peeled off their bodies and their heads were hung on a gallows in a crossroad to deter others. The rebel chief was also decapitated.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Poonch Revolt (1836) Kashmir conflict Dogra Azad Kashmir Poonch District, Pakistan