Later Mughals v1.c6.s10.23

v1.c6.s10.23

Other crazy acts were done by Kam Bakhsh, in his fits of madness and suspicion, without making any investigation. For instance when Matabar Khan, Bahadur Shah's envoy, arrived, some of Kam Bakhsh's ill-intentioned and foolish advisers persuaded him that the envoy had come at the head of a specially selected escort of reckless men with the intention, should he find an opportunity, of making away with Kam Bakhsh. As soon as he heard these silly words Kam Bakhsh demanded a list of the envoy's retinue, on the pretext of fixing their daily allowances. Now, some of the Haidarabad citizens, on the strength of their knowledge of the Quran, had struck up an acquaintance with Matabar Khan. At their request their names were included in this list. Kam Bakhsh invited the whole of the men to a feast, to which some seventy-five persons came. On their assembling, the Prince ordered them to be bound, and taken by the light of torches in parties of ten to different quarters of the city and there executed.† The mother of two newly married boys made lamentation, but in spite of her cries and her assertions that they did not belong to the envoy's suite, they were executed with the rest. Mulla Said-ud-din, *mufti* of Haidarabad, who had refused to give a legal opinion in favour of the execution of the prisoners, and many of the strict Muhammadan men of learning, taking their families with them, abandoned the city in disgust. Bahadur Shah's envoy himself was imprisoned and subjected to indignities.