In 1849, the British annexed Punjab. During their occupation of Punjab, the British used to divide and rule policy to incite communal strife among Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslims. Such policies caused communal strife, and the British took advantage of the situation to punish those who dared to challenge their authority. The British government permitted the establishment of large-scale butcheries. Namdharis dissented from the kine killing.
A minor incident in which a Namdhari asked a vegetable seller to come down from the back of an ox resulted in a verbal clash between Gurmukh Singh Namdhari and a Muslim in Malerkotla. Following that, the ox was butchered. Gurmukh Singh went to Bhaini Sahib gurdwara, Ludhiana, and narrated the story to Namdharis. On January 13, 1871, a group of about 200 Namdharies led by Kuka Hira Singh and Lehna Singh set out for Malerkotla to avenge the killing. On January 15, a fight broke out between Namdharis and Malerkotla State officials. Both sides suffered some casualties. Namdharies later fled the city and voluntarily surrendered to police officers at the police station in Sherpur, Patiala State. Meanwhile, Mr. Cowan, the Deputy Commissioner of the Ludhiana district, had arrived in Malerkotla. He directed that the Namdharies be blown up with cannons. This occurred on January 16 and 17, 1871. Sixty-six Namdharis were martyred.
Bishan Singh, a thirteen-year-old boy, was the last person to be executed. Mr. Cowan's wife felt sorry for the boy and begged her husband to let him go. Cowan approached the boy, bowed down to him, and said, "Disown the fool Ram Singh, and you will be forgiven." When he heard his Guru being abused, the boy became enraged. He jumped up, grabbed Cowan's beard, and wouldn't let go until both his hands were severed. In this way, he achieved martyrdom.