Shyam Shah Singh

Born in 1823 in the village of Khamaria in the Rewa District of Madhya Pradesh, Shyam Shah Singh was a well-known freedom fighter who worked alongside Tatya Tope, Rani Laxmi Bai, and Mangal Pandey during the First War of Independence in 1857. His first encounter with the British army occurred on the banks of the Mahanadi river near Chandi in Shahdol District, on what is now known as Jujhar Ghat. His second encounter occurred at Katni Bazar in the Murwara Tehsil. The British army was defeated both times, and many British army officers were killed. In the Khakhara jungles, Shyam Shah met Thakur Ranmat Singh and other freedom fighters. They joined hands and forced the British army to retreat from Dabhaura and Allahabad, thereby causing significant damage to the British army. The British military surrounded Shyam Shah and Ranmat Singh in Koeti Kila, and they both had to flee for their lives. Ranmat Singh went to Bahuti, and Shyam Shah went to Shahdol in the south. For the capture of Shyam Shah, the British offered a reward of Rs 2,000. In lieu of the reward, Thakur Ranjit Singh of Shahdol and his supporters betrayed Shyam Shah Singh by shooting him from behind as he rode away in Chachai. Despite being severely injured, he still managed to wound one of his traitors. The Thakurs then stoned him to death. In honour of Shyam Shah and his heroic actions, a medical college in Rewa has been named ‘The Shyam Shah Medical College.’