LUCKNOW, Jan. 25 -- Long before the Kakori episode, where revolutionaries stopped a train to challenge British rule in 1925, India had already witnessed what may be the world's first train hijack according to experts, ironically carried out by the British themselves. In the summer of 1857, as large parts of present-day Uttar Pradesh slipped out of colonial control, the British faced a crisis of authority. Entire regions had declared independence, with Banaras (now Varanasi) emerging as a major centre of resistance. The 23rd Native Infantry had broken ranks and had taken control of the city, triggering alarm in colonial headquarters. Desperate to suppress the uprising, the British rushed reinforcements from Madras (now Chennai) under Colonel James Neill. But speed was everything, and the railways were the key. According to the book titled 'Rails Through Raj' by PK Mishra, general manager of Modern Coach Factory, Rae Bareli, and Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala, Col Neill reached Raniganj near Kolkata in June 1857, intending to catch an early morning train to move his troops and armaments inland. However, Col Neill's arms and forces got delayed. "When delays threatened the plan and the station master refused to hold the train citing strict adherence to British punctuality, Neill resorted to brute authority," said Mishra during the launch of his book at the Universal Bookstore in Gomti Nagar on Saturday. The station master was taken into custody. The guard, driver and assistant driver were threatened with imprisonment unless they obeyed orders. "Within minutes, the train was forcibly commandeered. In the next 10-15 minutes, Neill's troops, weapons and baggage boarded, and the train rolled on, effectively hijacked to serve colonial interests," Mishra said. That single act, Mishra said, altered the trajectory of the 1857 uprising. Neill's rapid arrival helped the British regain control in Banaras, preventing the rebellion from spreading further. "These stories remind us that railways were introduced not for India's development, but for control," said deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak, the chief guest at the event, echoing the sentiment. "From lanterns and hand signals to tracking trains live on mobile phones, Indian Railways has come a long way. This book captures references that show how power and transport were deeply linked under British rule," he said. More than a history of tracks and timetables, Rails Through Raj uncovers how steel rails became instruments of empire and how, decades before Kakori, the politics of resistance and repression had already played out on a moving train....