After the revolt of 1857, which arm of the Indian army was kept entirely in European hands?
- A.The infantry
- B.The cavalry
- C.The artillery
- D.The engineers
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is C, the artillery. After the revolt the Peel Commission of 1859 advised a larger European element, the ratio of Europeans to Indians was raised to about one to two in Bengal and two to five in Madras and Bombay, and the artillery, the arm that decides a siege, was reserved for European troops so that Indian units could never bring heavy guns against the government. Options A and B, the infantry and the cavalry, continued to be largely Indian in their rank and file, though officered by Europeans, which is the sense of the saying that the army was Indian in blood and European in command. Option D, the engineers, also had Indian soldiers in its ranks. The same policy mixed regiments by caste, region and religion and concentrated recruitment on the so-called martial races of the north-west.
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