The Cambridge History of India, Vol. IV: The Mughul Period v4.c21.162

v4.c21.162

A new figure now appears upon the scene in the person of Ghāzī-ud-dīn the younger, who at the time of his father’s murder in 1752 was in Delhi, and, with the help of Safdar Jang, became paymaster-general. Almost immediately, he turned against his patron, and called in the Marāthās under Raghunāth Rāo and Malhār Rāo Holkar, who were just then engaged in exacting money from the Jāts. With the help of Holkar, Ahmad Shāh was deposed and blinded, and ‘Ālamgīr II installed as emperor. Anarchy prevailed in the unhappy capital, and the rival factions fought daily in the streets. The Marāthās bled the empire white with their insatiable demands, and this led to a mutiny among the imperial soldiers, who were months in arrears and starving. They then retired to Rājputāna, where they had for some time been engaged in taking part in dynastic disputes and collecting tribute. Here Jayappa Sindia was murdered in July, 1755.