Matadin Bhangi

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Matadin Bhangi, also known as Matadin Valmiki, was an Indian freedom fighter from Meerut who worked in a cartridge manufacturing unit of the British East India Company. In those times, leather work and handling animal hides were considered low-caste tasks. When Matadin asked Mangal Pandey, a soldier, for water, Pandey refused because of caste rules. Matadin argued that it was hypocritical to be proud of a high-caste identity while using cartridges greased with cow and pig fat, which offended Hindu and Muslim soldiers. This confrontation helped spark anger among Indian soldiers against the British and is cited by some historians and Dalit activists as an early trigger of the 1857 rebellion. In 2015, the Meerut Municipal Corporation renamed the Hapur Adda crossing in Meerut as Shaheed Matadin Chowk to honor him.