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How did the sepoys at Meerut begin the march to Delhi?

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Illustration of De Kantzow defending the treasury at Mainpuri during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, showing a British officer confronting armed sepoys inside a building as tensions rise during the uprising. — Indian Rebellion of 1857 Indian sepoys (soldiers) corner a British officer amid their attack on a treasury in Mainpuri, Uttar Pradesh.

The march to Delhi by the sepoys at Meerut was triggered by the harsh punishment of their comrades. After these soldiers refused to use Enfield rifle cartridges—which were rumored to be greased with cow and pig fat, offending both Hindu and Muslim religious sensibilities—they were fettered, given long prison terms, and jailed by the British.123

On May 10, 1857, incensed by this treatment, the remaining sepoys rose in rebellion, shot their British officers, and began their march to Delhi. They chose to head toward Delhi because there were no European troops stationed there at the time. Upon their arrival, the local garrison joined the mutineers, and they successfully seized the city, nominally restoring the aged Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah II to power. This event provided a focal point for the Indian Rebellion of 1857, setting the pattern for the uprising that subsequently spread across northern India.132