Arrange the following events of 1857 chronologically:

(A) Mutiny turned into a general revolt of the people

(B) Mutiny started in Meerut

(C) Delhi garrisons revolt

(D) British forces under Havelock and Outram entered the Residency in Lucknow

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

The correct option is (B), (C), (A), (D).

To understand why this is the correct chronological sequence, let us look at the timeline of the key events of the Indian Revolt of 1857 step-by-step:

1. Mutiny started in Meerut (B):
The rebellion began on May 10, 1857, when the sepoys at Meerut mutinied against their officers, broke open the jail, and released their comrades who had refused to use the new greased cartridges.

2. Delhi garrisons revolt (C):
Following the outbreak in Meerut, the mutineers marched to Delhi overnight. On May 11, 1857, the Delhi garrisons joined the revolt, seized the city, and declared the aging Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar as the symbolic leader of the rebellion.

3. Mutiny turned into a general revolt of the people (A):
In the weeks that followed (through late May and June 1857), the military mutiny rapidly transformed. It spread widely across Central and Northern India, gaining mass support and turning into a popular general revolt where peasants, artisans, and local leaders took up arms against British rule.

4. British forces under Havelock and Outram entered the Residency in Lucknow (D):
The Siege of Lucknow began in late May 1857. After months of intense fighting, British relief forces led by Major-General Henry Havelock and Sir James Outram finally fought their way through the city and entered the besieged Lucknow Residency on September 25, 1857.

By comparing these historical dates, we get the correct chronological order:
(B) May 10, 1857 → (C) May 11, 1857 → (A) Mid-May/June 1857 → (D) September 25, 1857.
Therefore, the sequence is (B), (C), (A), (D).