British reaction post the 1857 Uprising in Jabalpur

During the 1857 Uprising, the people of Jabalpur, in present-day Madhya Pradesh, participated aggressively and in large numbers. From landowners to villagers, different groups actively contributed to the overthrow of British rule. However, by January 1858, the British had recaptured the district and the Uprising was quashed with the use of brutal force.  The Deputy Commissioner of Jabalpur listed every family that had participated in or supported the Uprising. The villagers were punished, and the lands of the Zamindars (landholders) who had organized the revolt were seized. The estate of Thakur Saryuprasad of Bijairaghogarh was confiscated, and the family was banished. Even if the administration was only suspicious of a villager's involvement, their property was forcibly taken. For those who had gone into hiding in the aftermath of the Uprising, a prize was put on their heads and their property was seized. The British administration wanted to instil fear in the minds of the people to prevent future resistance.  However, the resentment, though silenced, kept on growing. The brutal suppression only added to peoples’ discontentment. With time, religious and social reforms were introduced, which became a channel through which political consciousness was reawakened in the people.