Later Mughals v1.c6.s18.20

v1.c6.s18.20

Alarm spread through the streets of Sarhind, an old and prosperous town, inhabited by wealthy bankers and traders and many well-born Muhammadans of the learned class.‡ Those who could do so fled, one of the first being Wazir Khan's eldest son, who, leaving all his father's hoards behind him, made off to Dihli with all his family. After a feeble defence of two days, the town was taken. Every one who, for want of carts or other conveyance, had been left behind, was made prisoner. Only those Muhammadans who disguised themselves and hid in the houses of the Hindus, escaped injury. The scavengers and leather-dressers and such like persons, who were very numerous among the Sikhs, committed excesses of every description. For the space of four days the town was given up to pillage, the mosques were defiled, the houses burnt, and the Muhammadans slaughtered; even their women and children were not spared.§ Some say that unborn children were taken from the womb and killed before their dying mothers' eyes. Hindus even were not respected. One of the principal objects of the Sikh vengeance was, of course, Saj Anand Brahman, Wazir Khan's chief revenue official and his adviser in taking the life of Govind's sons. Even Muhammadan writers have nothing to say in this man's favour; he had been, no doubt, like most men in his position, exacting and haughty in his days of prosperity. All power was now usurped by the Sikhs, and one Bar Singh, a man of poor origin, belonging to pargana Haibatpur Patti in the Bari Duab, was appointed subahdar, or governor of Sarhind. It is said that two krors of Rupees (about two millions sterling) in money and goods belonging to Wazir Khan and several hundred thousand Rupees belonging to Saj Anand and others, fell into the hands of Banda.*