What were the measures taken to ensure unity among the rebels?
The rebels took several measures to ensure unity among different communities. The proclamations repeatedly appealed to all sections of the population, irrespective of their caste and creed. Even proclamations issued by Muslim princes took care to address the sentiments of Hindus.
The ishtahars harked back to the pre-British Hindu-Muslim past and glorified the coexistence of different communities under the Mughal Empire. The rebellion was projected as a war in which both Hindus and Muslims had equally to lose or gain.
The proclamation issued under Bahadur Shah appealed to the people to join the fight under the standards of both Muhammad and Mahavir. This inclusive approach was so effective that religious divisions between Hindus and Muslims remained hardly noticeable despite British attempts to create such divisions.
Explanation
The answer draws from the section '3.1 The vision of unity' which explains how rebel proclamations deliberately appealed to both Hindus and Muslims. Key measures included: (1) addressing all sections irrespective of caste and creed, (2) Muslim princes addressing Hindu sentiments, (3) invoking the shared pre-British past of Hindu-Muslim coexistence, and (4) Bahadur Shah's proclamation invoking both Muhammad and Mahavir. The effectiveness of these measures is evident from the fact that British attempts to incite Hindus against Muslims (like in Bareilly) failed.