The skeletons of 282 Indian soldiers who participated in the country's First War of Independence in 1857 were found during the excavation near Amritsar, said Dr JS Sehrawat, Assistant Professor, Dept Anthropology, Punjab University.

While the identity and geographic origins of these soldiers have been under intense debate due to lack of scientific evidence, genetic analysis of the remains studied by scientists of the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Birbal Sahni Institute, Lucknow, Benaras Hindu University (BHU) and Punjab University's anthropologist J.S. Sehrawat has now established that these skeletons are of people from the Ganga plain region.

"These soldiers were revolting against the use of pork and beef greased cartridges, a study has suggested. Coins, medals, DNA study, elemental analysis, anthropological, radio-carbon dating, all point towards the same," Sehrawat added.

The 1857 revolt was called the First War of Independence by some historians. Some Indian sepoys recruited in the British Indian army had revolted against the use of pork and beef greased cartridges citing religious beliefs. 

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