Hyderabad’s CCMB scientists reveal 160-year-old human skeletons from Ajnala belong to martyrs of sepoy mutiny

Hyderabad: Genetic researchers from Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) and other major Indian research institutions, in a ground-breaking study have revealed that the human skeletons that were excavated from an old well in Ajnala town in Punjab in 2014, belonged to the Indian sepoys from the 26th Native Bengal Infantry Battalion, who […]

Hyderabad: Genetic researchers from Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) and other major Indian research institutions, in a ground-breaking study have revealed that the human skeletons that were excavated from an old well in Ajnala town in Punjab in 2014, belonged to the Indian sepoys from the 26th Native Bengal Infantry Battalion, who were executed by the British army in 1857.

The study, published on Thursday in the journal ‘Frontiers in Genetics’, is a collaborative effort of researchers from CCMB, Punjab University, Birbal Sahni Institute, Lucknow and Banaras Hindu University (BHU), and was taken-up to establish the roots of the human skeletons using DNA and isotope analyses.

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Back in 2014, a large number of human skeletons were excavated from an old well in Ajnala town of Punjab. Since then, there have been several theories around the origin of the human skeletons. Many historians believed that they belonged to the people who were killed in riots during the partition of India and Pakistan.

The other prevailing belief, based on various historical sources, is that these are skeletons of the Indian soldiers killed by the British army during the revolt of 1857 of Indian freedom struggle. However, the identity and the geographic origins of these soldiers have been under intense debate due to lack of scientific evidence.

The finding of the study revealed that the skeletons belonged to residents of the Gangetic plain region. Researchers had used 50 samples for DNA analysis and 85 specimens for isotope analysis.

“DNA analysis helps understanding ancestry of people, and isotope analysis sheds light on food habits. Both the research methods supported that the human skeletons found in the well were not of people living in Punjab or Pakistan. Rather, DNA sequences matched with the people from UP, Bihar, and West Bengal”, said Dr K. Thangaraj, Chief Scientist, CCMB; Director, Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, Hyderabad, and a senior member of the research team.

Dr J.S. Sehrawat, who is the first author of this study and an anthropologist from Panjab University, said “The results from this research are consistent with the historical evidence that the 26th Native Bengal Infantry Battalion consisted of people from the eastern part of Bengal, Odisha, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh”.

As per historical records, soldiers from this battalion were posted at Mian-Meer, Pakistan and killed British officers in a revolt. They were captured by the British army near Ajnala and executed, researchers said.

Dr Niraj Rai, the lead researcher of this team and expert on ancient DNA, said that scientific research done by this team helps look at history from a more evidence-based way.

Prof Gyaneshwer Chaubey, Department of Zoology, BHU, who played a crucial role in the DNA study, stressed that the findings of this study would add a significant chapter in the history of the unsung heroes of India’s first freedom struggle.

Dr Vinay Nandicoori, Director, CCMB, said, “Ancient DNA study is a powerful tool not only to understand our past and also help us in understanding historical perspective. He further said that CCMB plans to take up a large-scale ancient DNA study, which would unravel several historical and pre-historical facts.

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