Muntakhab al-lubab 167: Religious Disturbances.

167

[vol. ii. p. 755.] After Daud Panni became Subadar of Ahmadabad in Gujarat, in the second year of the reign, on the night when the holi of the Hindus is burnt, a certain Hindu, between whose house and the house of some Musulmans there was a court-yard common to both houses, prepared to burn the holi in front of his house; but the Musulmans prevented him. The Hindu went to Daud Khan, who frequently favoured the infidels, and argued that he had a right to do as he liked in his own house. After a good deal of talk and importunity, the right to burn the holi was allowed. Next day a Musulman, who dwelt opposite the house, desiring to give an entertainment in honour of the Prophet, brought a cow and slaughtered it there, on the ground that it was his own house. All the Hindus of the quarter assembled in a mob round the Musulmans, and the Musulmans, being unable to resist, went into their houses and hid themselves.
The Hindus grew so bold and violent that they seized a lad of fourteen or fifteen years old, the son of a cow-butcher, and, according to the statement of one of the citizens who fell into their hands, they dragged the boy off and slaughtered him. The report and sight of this outrage drew the Musulmans together from all quarters ; the cry for a general disturbance was raised, and they were ready to do battle with the Hindus. A great concourse assembled, and among them several thousand Afghans, in the service of Daud Khan, eager to defend the honour of Islam, without caring to please their master. The Afghans of the suburbs and the inhabitants of the city assembled together in a great crowd, and went off with one accord to the house of the kazi. The kazi seeing the mob, hearing the disturbance, and thinking of the partiality of the Subahdar, shut his door upon the people.
Report says that upon a hint of the kazi as to the conduct and partiality of Daud Khan towards the Hindus, the Musulmans set fire to the door of the kazis house, and began to burn the shops in the chauk and the houses of the Hindus. In the riot many shops were destroyed. They then went off with the intention of burning the house of Kapur Chand, a jeweller, and an active infidel, who took a leading part in this business, and was an acquaintance of Daud Khan. He got notice of their intention, and, with a number of matchlockmen whom he collected, he shut the gate of his ward of the town and showed fight. Numbers of Musulmans and Hindus were killed. The riot reached such a pitch that for three or four days all business and work in Ahmadabad was suspended. A large number of the leaders on both sides resolved to appeal to the Emperor, Daud Khan placed his own seal on the petition of Kapur Chand, and the kazi and other officials having certified to the violence of the Musulmans, it was sent to Dehli. Shaikh 'Abdu-l aziz [and other Musulmans] went in person to Court. [Further religious contention and violence at Dehli.]