Nawab Sirajud Daulah: whose brutal assassination paved the way for British rule in India
Sirajuddaula was the last Nawab of Bengal
June 23, 1757. Sirajuddaula, the last Nawab of Bengal, was defeated in the battle of Palashi. His capital is about 50 miles away - at Murshidabad.
Siraj reached the capital early the next morning after riding a camel all night.
Mir Zafar and Robert Clive are still in the wilderness of Plasshi.
The next morning Robert Clive sent a note to Mir Zafar. It read: "I congratulate you on this victory. This victory is not mine, but yours. I hope to have the honor of declaring you Nawab."
Before sending this letter, Mir Jafar went to meet Robert Clive in the English camp on the morning after the victory.
He looked a little tired, a little worried.
The English soldiers took him to Colonel Clive's tent. Robert Clive was not yet a Lord, Colonel Clive he was.
Clive told Mir Jafar, "You should set out now for the capital Murshidabad. Take the city for yourself. Colonel Watts will go with you."
Robert CliveIt took Clive and his men three days to cover the 50 miles of Peru that Siraj covered in one night.
The road was strewn with potholes, wrecked cars and dead bodies of Sirajuddaula's soldiers and horses as a result of the shelling.
Sir Panderol Moon writes in his book 'The British Conquest and Dominion of India', "Clive was due to reach Murshidabad on 27th June.
But Jagat Seth told him that there was a plan to kill Clive. That is why Clive reached the city two days later, on the 29th.
"Mir Zafar was waiting at the main gate of the city to welcome Clive. The two entered the city together.
It was Robert Clive who saluted the new Nawab by placing Mir Zafar in the masnad. He then announced that the company would not interfere in any way in Mir Zafar's rule. They will only mind their own business."
Since then, the British ruled India for 180 years.
Clive became one of the richest men in Europe overnight
Clive received five crore rupees from Sirajuddaula's treasury. He hoped he would get more.
The famous historian William Dalrymple wrote in his book 'The Anarchy': "Clive was owed £234,000 for winning this war. He was also supposed to receive £27,000 a year as a landlord.
If he had actually received this huge sum, Robert Clive would have suddenly become one of the richest men in Europe at the age of just 33.
"Clive spent the next few days in great anxiety. He was afraid that Mir Zafar would not break his word!
It looked to them as if two powerful gangsters were sharing a big loot."
Siraj escaped in disguise at three o'clock in the night
While Clive waits for his share of the booty, Mir Jafar's son Meeran searches all over Bengal for Sirajuddaula, who has fled the capital.
"Sirajuddaula left the capital in the guise of a commoner. He was accompanied by some trusted relatives, and some hijras.
At around 3:00 am, wife Lutf-un-Nisa and a few relatives were placed in a covered car. Siraj left the palace with as much gold and jewels as he could," writes historian Syed Ghulam Hussain Khan in his Persian-language book 'Siyarul Mutakhiri'.
Siraj first went to Bhagwangola from Murshidabad.
After a couple of days, Besbhusha reached the palace after changing her clothes several times.
There was nothing to eat for three days, so everyone took a break.
Khichuri was cooked.
Siraj was arrested on the information given by a fakir
A fakir named Shah Dana lived in that area. He secretly informs that Sirajuddaula is there.
It is like the moon in the sky, Mir Jafar, the Mirans got it. Siraj, who is being searched for all over Bengal day and night, is so close!
On hearing the news, Mir Jafar's daughter-in-law Mir Kashim crossed the river with armed soldiers and surrounded the entire area.
Siraj was brought to Murshidabad on 2nd July, 1757.
Robert Clive was still there.
Clive sent a letter to the company's office at Fort William before he came to town with Sirajuddaula.
wrote, "I hope that Mir Jafar will show such courtesy to a Nawab who has been removed from the masnad as is possible under the circumstances."
Two days after sending that letter, Clive wrote another letter.
"Sirajuddaula is no more in this world. Nawab Mir Zafar might have shown some mercy to Sirajuddaula.
But Meeran felt that Sirajuddaula must be killed to maintain peace in the country.
He (Sirajuddaula) was buried yesterday morning at Khoshbagh," wrote Colonel Robert Clive in a letter dated July 4.
Sirajuddaula was assassinated on 13th July.
Last time of Sirajuddaula
Robert Orme describes that day in the book 'A History of the Military Transactions of the British Nation in Indostan'.
"The deposed Nawab was brought before Mir Jafar in the middle of the night. Sirajuddaula lived in that palace a few days ago. Sirajuddaula stood before Mir Jafar and begged for his life.
The sepoys took Sirajuddaula to the other side of the palace. On the other hand, Mir Jafar discussed with his councilors what should be done with Sirajuddaula.
"There were three options open to them: either keep him in custody in Murshidabad, or incarcerate him elsewhere outside the country. The third option was the death penalty.
Many wanted to keep Siraj imprisoned. But Mir Zafar's 17-year-old son Meeran was strongly opposed. Mir Zafar had no opinion of his own," wrote Robert Orme.
Historian Sudeep Chakraborty, in his recently published book 'Plassey: The Battle That Changed the Course of Indian History', has described the events that followed.
Since Mir Zafar had not given any opinion of his own about what to do with Sirajuddaula, "Meeran took it as his father's consent," writes Sudip Chakraborty.
He wrote in the book, "He told his father that you should rest now. I will take care of it. Mir Zafar thought that nothing violent would happen. He finished the durbar late at night and retired to his bedroom."
Syed Ghulam Hussain Khan's book also contains the subsequent events.
'Siraj was killed with sword and knife'
Miran assigned one of his associates Mohammadi Beg to kill Sirajuddaula. Another name of Mohammadi Beg was Lal Mohammad.
"When Meeran went to Sirajuddaula with his companions, Siraj knew what was going to happen next."
"He requested that he be allowed to perform ablution and pray before he was killed. The killers poured a pot of water over Siraj's head in order to finish their work quickly.
When he realized that he would not be allowed to perform ablution properly, he asked for some water to eat," wrote Syed Ghulam Hussain Khan.
"Just then Mohammadi Beg struck the first blow on Siraj with a knife. As soon as the knife struck, the others attacked Siraj with swords.
Within minutes they were done. Siraj's head bowed, he fell," wrote Robert Orme in his book.
Sirajuddaula was only 25 years old then.
The corpse was carried around the whole city on the back of an elephant
The next day, Sirajuddaula's mutilated body was placed on the back of an elephant and paraded around Murshidabad's Olli-Goli, Bazar.
As if trying to prove to everyone that Siraj is defeated.
Narrating this brutality, Syed Ghulam Hussain Khan writes, "During that horrible funeral procession, the mahout knowingly stationed the elephant carrying the corpse in front of Hussain Quli Khan's residence.
Siraj killed Hussain Quli Khan two years ago.
"Now even a few drops of blood from his dead body fell on the road, where Hussain Quli Khan was killed."
Meeran's cruelty did not end there.
Within a few days he killed all the women of Alivardi Khan's clan.
Siraj's wife Lutf-un-Nisa refused to marry Mir Zafar or Miran
Karam Ali in his book 'Da Muzaffarnama of Karam Ali' describes the killing of all the women of Alibardi Khan's clan.
He writes, "About 70 innocent begums were forced into a boat and taken to the mid-Ganges, where the boat was sunk. The remaining women of Sirajuddaula's clan were poisoned to death.
"Those who were killed by drowning and poisoning were all buried together in a garden called Khushbagh by the river."
Not just one woman was killed.
She was Sirajuddaula's extraordinarily beautiful wife Lutf-un-Nisa.
Mir Zafar and his son Miran - both wanted to marry her.
Karam Ali writes, "Lutf-un-Nisa - father and son - turned down the offer saying that having first ridden on the back of an elephant, now it is not possible to ride on the back of a donkey."
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