In Meerut, the memories of one of the bloodiest episodes in Indian history are still strong 150 years after the British brutally suppressed a mutiny billed as the country’s first war of independence.

So when a group of retired British army officers visited the northern Indian city to present a plaque commemorating the courage of their forefathers, they brought protests from local political parties, whose supporters burnt the ex-servicemen in effigy.

Arriving at St John’s Church, adjacent to the site of a former British parade ground, they asked Father Peter Baldev if he would fix a remembrance stone to the wall. It was dedicated to the “bravery and distinguished service” of the 1st Battalion of The 60th King’s Royal Rifle Corps between May 10 and September 20, 1857.

After consultation with the Bishop of Agra, the priest refused, and the tourists departed for Delhi, leaving a seething resentment in their wake. The battalion, far from being considered heroes, were butchers in the eyes of the locals. “The people here are agitated,” Narendra Singh Patel, a Meerut government official, told The Times yesterday. “It was an error of judgment on their part. If they had told us what they were going to do, we could have advised against it.”

The wording of the plaque was ill-advised considering that the church was also the place where 85 Indian soldiers were court-martialled on May 9, 1857 — an event that sparked a four-month uprising against colonial occupation. In the ensuing revolt, tens of thousands were slaughtered before the British regained control of Delhi on September 20.

Furthermore, the court martial in Meerut where Indian soldiers were stripped and humiliated was carried out in front of the men the retired Riflemen had come to honour.

“The US Army cannot go to Vietnam and plant something celebrating their victory. This was an attack on the emotional sensibilities of the local people,” said Amit

Patak, secretary of the regional heritage society, who guides British military tourists around Meerut. “It was superior and racist.

“Other British [people] have come with a different attitude. They laid flowers in memory of the Indians who died. This group was lost in a time when they were crushing populations all over the world.” British tourists should be warned against visiting Meerut until things settled down, he added.

Lieutenant-Colonel Nick Richardson, of the British Army, said that the group contained no serving officers and was not associated with the Ministry of Defence. Father Peter said that the leader of the group was called Roy Trustram-Lee, but he did not know which part of Britain they were from. The priest said that they claimed to have permission from the Indian Ministry of Defence to mount the plaque.

Disturbing memories

— Two plaques honouring Confederate soldiers were removed from the Texas Supreme Court in 2000 by George Bush, then Governor. Black groups said they were offensive to minorities

— Plaques left on peaks in Britain have been condemned as “litter”. A memorial garden has been placed at the foot of Ben Nevis to compensate for the planned removal of all tributes from the peak

Sources: Daily Texan, John Muir Trust

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