The civil population joined the rebellion triggered by the sepoys. There are may reasons for this:
First and foremost, the sepoys were ‘peasants in uniform’. Because they were firmly rooted in peasant society, their grievances were shared by their brethren in the countryside. Moreover peasants of many parts of the Company’s territory, wilting under heavy revenue burden, had become restive.
Secondly, other sections of Indian society had their own scores to settle with the British. The Awadh talukdars, having lost their taluk and status, were waiting for an opportunity to strike back. There were other landlords who were no less aggrieved. So were the artisans, many of whom had lost their ostensible means of livelihood.
The economic hardship of the general populace was compounded by a shared belief that the Company’s government, through its reformist policies, posed a very serious threat to religious and social life of the Indian people. Thus in some areas the grievances of the sepoys merged with the general discontent of the civil population.