Ruins of Saragarhi post in Samana range, 1897

 

Ruins of Saragarhi post in Samana range (Hangu district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), 1897. 

On 12 September 1897, a lashkar of Afridi and Orakzai freedom fighters bravely climbed the ascent of Samana range despite of being fired upon from the top of the hill. They reached the hill-top, stormed the Saragarhi outpost and easily massacred the 21 Sikh soldiers in the service of British imperialists (Pashtuns would not give quarters to Sikh soldiers and would not take them prisoners so the claim that Sikh soldiers refused to surrender, is nonsense ; Sikh soldiers simply had no choice but to fight to the death). Fort Gulistan and Fort Lockhart were only 1.5 miles away from the Saragarhi outpost but the 500 British soldiers garrisoned in those two forts, either could not gather courage or did not deem it ncessary to put their own precious lives to come to the rescue of the mere 21 disposible Desi sepoys, and watched the storming of Saragarhi by from safe distance. 

This even is regarded by the Sikhs as most momentous chapter of their history and they commemorate this event as Saragarhi day (12th September) which is a holiday in the Indian state of Punjab.