“In this instance we could not play off the Mohammedans against the Hindus”. To which one of the following events did this remark of Aitchison relate ?

The remark refers to the communal unity shown during the Revolt of 1857, when British officials found that Hindus and Muslims had cooperated against colonial rule and therefore could not be set against one another for imperial advantage. Contemporary analyses note that the unity in 1857 alarmed the rulers and prompted subsequent policies to 'divide and rule' by favoring Hindus and repressing Muslims to break that solidarity [1]. Specific local examples—such as the British attempt in Bareilly to incite Hindus against Muslims which failed—underscore that Aitchison’s comment addressed the inability to 'play off' the two communities during the 1857 uprising [2].

Sources

1. [1] Modern India ,Bipin Chandra, History class XII (NCERT 1982 ed.)[Old NCERT] > Chapter 9: Administrative Changes After 1858 > Administrative Policies > p. 160
2. [2] THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART III, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 10: REBELS AND THE RAJ > 3.1 The vision of unity > p. 271