Today In Indian History (5th April)

1663 - Shaista Khan was wounded by the Maratha chief Shivaji who made a surprise night attack in Poona on 5 April, 1663, wounding him. 

After his accession to the throne, Aurangzib sent Shayista Khan (Shaista Khan was the son of Asaf Khan and brother of Mumtaz Mahal) as viceroy of the Deccan with instruction to crush Shivaji. However, Shayista Khan had to retreat when Shivaji embarked on a surprise attack at the well-guarded mansion of Shayista Khan in Poona. In the scuffle Shaista Khan lost his thumb and his son, Abul Fath, was killed. This incident served a body-blow to the Mughal prestige in the Deccan. Aurangzeb recalled Shayista and transferred him to Bengal. 

1930 - Mahatma Gandhi reached Dandi on 5th April 1930 to break the salt law. Led by Mahatma Gandhi, The famous 1930 "salt march" (Dandi March) was an act of nonviolent civil disobedience to defy the monopoly on salt production by the British colonial rulers. Dandi March is also called Salt Satyagraha.  

The 24-day march which lasted from 12 March 1930 to 6 April 1930 spanned 387 kilometres, from Gandhi's Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad to the coastal village of Dandi, which was called Navsari at that time (now in the state of Gujarat). Gandhi broke the British Raj salt laws on 6 April 1930. 

It sparked India's civil disobedience movement as thousands joined him on the beach to pick up salt, the production of which was under colonial control.

78 volunteers had accompanied Mahatma Gandhi on the Dandi March.  

Today In Indian History (4th April)

1944- The Battle of Kohima took place in three stages from 4 April to 22 June 1944 around the town of Kohima, now the capital city of Nagaland in Northeast India.

The Battle of Kohima was the turning point of the Japanese U-Go offensive into India in 1944 during the Second World War.

Today In Indian History (3rd April)

1680 -  Shivaji died a premature death at the age of fifty-three (or fifty, according to some) on the 3rd April, 1680. One of the most famous figures of Indian history, Shivaji was the founder of the Maratha kingdom.

Today In Indian History (2nd April)

1870 - Poona Sarvajanik Sabha was founded on April 2, 1870 in the Pune district of Maharashtra. It was one of the first Indian socio-political organisations formed to represent the interests of the Indian people during the British rule. It was by Mahadev Govind Ranade  and his associates G V Joshi, S H Sathe, and S H Chiplonkar.

Today In Indian History (1st April)

1621 - Birth of Guru Tegh Bahadur on 1st April in 1621. He was the ninth of ten gurus in the Sikh religion. Guru Tegh Bahadur was executed on the orders of Aurangzeb, the sixth Mughal emperor, in Delhi, on 11 November in 1675. 

Born in Amritsar, Guru Tegh Bahadur was the youngest son of Guru Hargobind (1595 – 1644), the sixth Sikh guru. 

Today In Indian History (29th March)

1857 - Mangal Pandey, a sepoy of the 34th Regiment of the Bengal Native Infantry (BNI) mutinied against his commanding officers of the East India Company on 29 March 1857. 

This event and his role in the subsequent events led to more resentment among the sepoys of the Bengal Army ultimately aiding in the Revolt of 1857. Also known as the Sepoy Mutiny,   the Revolt of 1857 resulted in the dissolution of the East India Company and the beginning of the British Raj through the Government of India Act 1858.

Mangal Pandey was executed on 8 April 1857.  

Today In Indian History (28th March)

1531 - Mahmud Shah II of Malwa surrendered to Bahadur Shah, the sultan of Muzaffarid dynasty of Gujarat after the fort of Mandu fell to Bahadur on 28th March 1531.