Battle of Shamli

The Battle of Shamli or Battle of Thana Bhawan was fought on 10 May 1857 between the forces of Imdadullah Muhajir Makki and the East India Company. It was part of the Indian Rebellion of 1857.

On 10 May 1857, local Muslims under the leadership of Imdadullah Muhajir Makki gathered at Thana Bhawan, a small town in the Shamli district in current-day Uttar Pradesh, around 120 km from Delhi, to stage a violent protest against Company rule in India. The clergy won the day in what came to be known as the Battle of Shamli and established a government mostly in the Shamli district. Muhammad Qasim Nanautavi was the commander-in-chief and Rashid Ahmad Gangohi was the Qadi of the state, but soon after the killing of Muhammad Zamin, the situation turned in favour of the East India Company. The arrest of Bahadur Shah Zafar, one of the main leaders of the Rebellion of 1857, followed. Shamli fell to the British, and the town of Thana Bhawan was largely destroyed by the East India Company Army.