Moulvi Muhammad Baqir (1780–1857) was a scholar,

Indian independence activist The Indian independence movement consisted of efforts by individuals and organizations from a wide spectrum of society to obtain political independence from the British, French and Portuguese rule through the use of many methods. This is a li ...

and journalist based in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

. He was the first journalist to be executed following the

Indian rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against Company rule in India, the rule of the East India Company, British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the The Crown, British ...

. He was arrested on 16 September 1857 and executed by gunshot two days later without trial. He was the founder and editor of Delhi Urdu Akhbar''.''

Early life

Baqir was born in 1780 in

. He received his early education from his father. In 1825, he went to Delhi College for further studies. After completing his education, he was appointed as a teacher in Delhi college in 1828, where he served for six years.

Imambara Azad Manzil

In 1843, Maulvi Muhammad Baqir built an

Imambara A Husayniyya () is a building designed specifically for gatherings of Shia Muslim, Shia Muslims for spiritual practice, religious education and commemoration ceremonies, especially the Mourning of Muharram. The Husayniyya is a multipurpose hall ...

in Delhi near Kashmiri Gate. This was a very inclusive place of gathering where not only Shia Muslims but also Sunnis and Hindus gathered to commemorate the events of Karbala. Great poets like Ibrahim Zauq and Mir Momin also participated in reciting elegies.Rizvi, "A socio-intellectual History of Isna Ashari Shi'is in India", Vol. 2, p. 98, Mar'ifat Publishing House, Canberra (1986). He also built a mosque near Panja Sharif. In 1834, he also started publishing a religious magazine, ''Mazhar-e-Haq (مظہر حق)'', which published news on Shia world and also essays on Shia religious topics. This was a period of fierce religious debates among Muslims because of the sectarian polemics written by Shah Abd al-Aziz and Shah Ismail Dihlavi. However, Maulvi Baqir forbade any kind of

Tabarra The Arabic pair and the closely related pair both refer to the following complementary concepts in Shia Islam: and denote the unconditional loyalty, alliance, devotion, love, and obedience of Shia Muslims toward their imams and the Islamic pr ...

in his Imambara. This made a fanatic Shia cleric, Molana Jafar of Jarja, very angry and he wrote to the Marja in Lucknow to as for their religious ruling on it, as follows: "''One ABC built an Imambara for commemoration of martyrdom of Imam Hussain but made a proclamation that none was allowed to recite Tabarra against the first three Caliphs who claimed the pulpit after the Prophet. Anyone who recites Tabarra should be expelled.''" The Marja in Lucknow replied that the owner was free to define conditions and rules for entry into the house he owns. Those who attend the assembly must follow these rules.

Dehli Urdu Akhbar

In 1834 when the government allowed publication after amending the "Press Act", he entered the field of journalism. In 1835, he started taking out his newspaper under the name of the weekly "Dehli Urdu Akhbar"(دہلی اردو اخبار). The newspaper survived for nearly 21 years, proving to be a milestone in the field of Urdu journalism. With the help of this newspaper, he played an important role in social issues as well as bringing political awakening in public and uniting against foreign rulers.Rizvi, "A socio-intellectual History of Isna Ashari Shi'is in India", Vol. 2, p. 100, Mar'ifat Publishing House, Canberra (1986). Dehli Urdu Akhbar

Maulvi Baqir made full use of his newspaper to generate public opinion against

British rule The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or dire ...

during the

Indian Rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against Company rule in India, the rule of the East India Company, British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the The Crown, British ...

. The rebellion against the British was sparked by mutinying

sepoy ''Sepoy'' () is a term related to ''sipahi'', denoting professional Indian infantrymen, traditionally armed with a musket, in the armies of the Mughal Empire and the Maratha. In the 18th century, the French East India Company and its Euro ...

s in 1857 and the Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar was given the leadership of the revolution by all the rebel leaders. Journalist Maulvi Baqir renamed his newspaper on 12 July 1857 to lend his support " Akhbar Uz Zafar ". Journalist Maulvi Baqir, a staunch supporter of Hindu Muslim unity on 4 June 1857, printed articles in his newspaper appealing to both communities - "Don't miss this opportunity, if missed, no one will come to help, this is a good opportunity for you to get rid of British rule.

Death

Vereshchagin-Blowing from Guns in British India

Maulvi Muhammad Baqir was arrested on 14 September 1857 for revolt. On16 September 1857, he was tied to the mouth of a cannon which was then fired by Major William S.R. Hudson. Thus Moulvi Mohammad Baqir became the first martyr for press in the Indian Subcontinent.

References

{{reflist Indian independence activists Indian journalists People from Delhi Indian Shia clerics Indian Shia Muslims 1780 births 1857 deaths Deaths by firearm in India 19th-century executions by British India Indian people of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 Revolutionaries of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 19th-century Indian journalists Zakir Husain Delhi College alumni