Later Mughals v2.c16.s1: Sec. 84.—The Dihli Shoe-Sellers' Riot.
Later Mughals v2.c16.s1
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Sec. 84.—The Dihli Shoe-Sellers' Riot.
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The shoe-sellers' riot in the eleventh year of the reign occupies a considerable space in all the histories of the time; and, besides its value as a picture of the turbulence of the capital, it is important as conducing to the downfall of the group of palace favourites whose influence was all powerful on the Emperor's mind throughout the first twelve or thirteen years of his reign.
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By the common usage of the lower order of Muhammadans, the first half of the month Shaban is devoted to festivities, among the chief of which are the illumination of lamps and the discharge of fireworks in the streets. In the evening of the 8th of the month (8th March 1729) one Subhkaran, a jeweller belonging to the imperial establishments, was on his way home from the house of the eunuch, Hafiz Khidmatgar Khan, curator of the Jewel House. The man had been for many years protected by the all-powerful Roshan-ud-daulah Panipati, by whose aid he had obtained an imperial rank (mansab), and had received an important office on the Lord Chamberlain's establishment.*
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His way home, for he lived behind the Jauhari-bazar, took Subhkaran past the shoe-sellers' shops in the square or chauk of Sadullah Khan, situated to the south of the palace. These men were all Panjabis, and their shops, which were very large and numerous, lined both sides of the road. All were bigoted Muhammadans, strict in their prayers; their elders were men of dignity, well dressed and long bearded, many knowing their Quran by heart and able to expound it. As the munshi's palki approached, both Hindus and Muhammadans were busy letting off squibs in the street, in the way usual at that season. One of these squibs fell into the palki and burnt a hole in the munshi's darbar clothes: the servants running at his side remonstrated and after words the two parties came to blows. The retinue were armed while the shoe-makers had only their rasps; but the latter being the more numerous seized one of the sepoys and took from him his sword and shield. Subhkaran in an angry mood made his way home and at once ordered the man who had been disarmed to return and punish his assailants.
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∗ Ashob 56a-64b (basis of this narrative); Bayan-i-waqai 497-507; Warid 26-32 and 37.
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After nightfall the man, accompanied by a crowd of his friends, went back to the shoe-sellers' quarter and caught a stripling who was beaten till he almost died. Hearing the cries, one of the elders known as Haji Hafiz, rose from his cot and ran barefooted to the boy's assistance. In rescuing the boy the Haji himself received a sword cut and fell down dead. The assailants leaving the body where it fell made off home. At dawn the shoe-sellers, and after them the whole city, gathered round the body and swore that until the murderer and his employer were killed, the body should lie there unburied. All the lower class Muhammadans joined themselves to the shoe-sellers. The body was placed on a cot, and in the greatest excitement shouting Din Din they carried it off and laid it before the door of Subhkaran.
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During the night Subhkaran had sought refuge in the mansion of Sher Afkan Khan Panipati, then Lord Chamberlain (Khan-saman) and therefore his official superior. Subhkaran as already said was a protégé of Zafar Khan Roshan-ud-daulah, also from Panipat. Roshan-ud-daulah was connected by marriage with Sher Afkan Khan, and the two men for this reason and their being natives of the same town were the closest of friends. Sher Afkan Khan was the younger brother of another very influential noble, Lutf-ullah Khan Sadiq. For these two reasons (1) that the fugitive was his official subordinate and (2) was the protégé of his bosom friend, Sher Afkan Khan refused to give the man up to the mob; in fact, stoutly denied that the man was in his house. Leaving the body at the munshi’s door, the crowd went away to make complaint before the palace.
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At the time of their arrival there, Muhammad Shah was on his way back with his mother Qudsiya Begam from a visit to the garden known as Jafar Khan’s. He was greeted with cries of “The Faith”, “The Faith”, and “Justice!” “Justice!” and the men were allowed to tell their story. An order was given to Qamar-ud-din Khan the Wazir, who also held the office of superintendent of the audience chamber, to send a palace attendant to arrest the accused wherever he might be found. Sher Afkan Khan, the man’s protector, refused absolutely to comply with the order. And thus the Thursday passed.
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From early dawn on the Friday (11th Shaban 1141 H. = 11th March 1729) the shoe-sellers traversed the city calling upon every Muhammadan to join in their protest in defence of the Faith and its followers. The point of assembly fixed upon was the Great Mosque; and by the time of the midday prayer its spacious court was thronged. They so crowded on the praying space and the pulpit that the service was interrupted, while the noise and confusion increased every moment. The most demonstrative groups were those led by the Arabs, Abyssinians, and Constantinople Turks in the service of Rumi Khan and the dependents of Sayyid Arab Ali Khan the Baghdadi, most of whom had been employed in the imperial artillery from the time of Haidar Quli Khan, formerly Mir Atash or Master of the Ordnance. These men although unarmed acted as leaders. They pressed in a circle round the pulpit, the kneeling worshippers had no room to rise to their feet when required by the ritual, the officiant was prevented by rough usage from pronouncing the bidding to prayer, blows and curses were showered on the Qazi and the expounder of the law, accused of supporting the unbeliever. Swords were not drawn, no blood was shed; but the Qazi and his son were buffeted and kicked till they were nearly dead, and the expounder and the reciter were dragged off the pulpit, thrown on the ground, and thoroughly thumped till they nearly fainted.
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Reports of the outbreak reached the palace and by order of the Emperor the Wazir and Roshan-ud-daulah went with their troops to allay the disturbance, restore order and cause the prayer to be completed. The Wazir was the first to reach the spot and he entered the mosque with his followers by the northern gateway. He lavished promises of help to the Muhammadan cause and by his smooth talk abated for the time the vigour of the assault on the Qazi and his subordinates. But the accession of such a great noble, as it seemed to them, only made the mob more resolute in the pursuit of their vengeance. Unfortunately Roshan-ud-daulah now appeared with his following at the eastern gate, the entrance used by the Emperor. His retinue was made up of ignorant Afghans, puffed up with notions of their valour, men from Khurja, Sikandra, and other parganas round Dihli; and leaders from Shahjahanpur, Mau-Shamsabad and Farrukhabad (the "Indian Afghanistan"), with a few men from the towns about Thanesar in Sarhind. From another direction, the southern side, came up Sher Afkan Khan, who had been trying to make the heirs of the murdered man accept the price of blood. Now, hearing that the Wazir and Roshan-ud-daulah had come, he too had turned out from his house with the whole of his armed train of Hindustanis at his heels.
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With the idea of preventing more men crowding into the mosque, Roshan-ud-daulah ordered his Afghans to close the gates. The sight of Roshan-ud-daulah and Sher Afkan Khan once more roused the mob to fury. With cries of "The Faith, the Faith" and "Strike the infidels on the face", they brought forth their only weapons, the iron-heeled shoes that they had hid under their arm-pits and the stones and brickbats they had collected in the long skirts of their coats. These they hurled at the two nobles with loud curses and foul abuse. On Sher Afkan Khan fell the first brunt of this attack; and his "dignity was subjected to the indignity" of being struck by these shoes and other missiles. Some fell on his turban; others passed him and struck the plumes of Roshan-ud-daulah's gold-brocade head-dress. The rioters then attacked the Afghans who were standing in rows behind their masters. All this time the Wazir held aloof near the pulpit, a mere onlooker.
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At last, alarmed at the danger to the two nobles, and angered at seeing the bruised and bleeding faces of their own captains, the Afghans lost all patience and set upon the attacking party, sword in hand and shield on arm. The bazar men would have soon got the worst of it. But the artillery who had taken up their cause now fell on, armed with fusils and European pistols. Joined with them was a body of unruly Mughals from the quarter of Mughalpura. One of the Habshis fired from near the pulpit at the two nobles. Thereupon the Afghans wild with excitement rushed forward; and the ranks of both sides were inextricably intermingled. The Afghans were far more numerous than the artillery men while the shoesellers were unarmed. Up to this point the Mughals round the Wazir had hardly been able to restrain themselves; but now, as the day was going against their fellow countrymen, they disregarded all the Wazir’s orders. Seizing their weapons they took part in the fray.
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The other Mughal troops were drawn up mounted in the streets outside the masjid waiting to escort the Wazir on his return. Excited at what was taking place these men rode up the flight of steps leading to the gates, dispersed the Afghans guarding them, burst them open, and with one shout dismounting ran at full speed into the masjid. Following them came the Wazir’s elephant and the camels bearing his wall-pieces and rockets. Many of the rioters lost their lives. After holding out as long as they were able and seeing many of their leaders and comrades fall, the Afghans began to yield ground. Sher Afkan Khan received a cut on his right wrist and his sword fell from his grip. Some of his followers were killed and others wounded; the rest sought safety in flight and made for the south doorway. All this time other Afghans had stood round Roshan-ud-daulah like a living shield. When Sher Afkan Khan retreated they forced Roshan-ud-daulah to follow. His bulk and corpulence rendered him incapable of nimble movement, they lifted him on their shoulders fighting as they went. Exhausted and breathless they reached the gate.
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Issuing from the mosque they fled to the mansion of Dil-diler Khan, the elder brother of Sher Afkan Khan, distant only a few paces. When the Afghans inside learnt that the two nobles had reached a place of safety they, too, left the mosque and sought the same refuge. The rioters, disregarding Qamar-ud-din Khan the Wazir’s orders, wished to follow and continue the fight, and surrounding Dil-diler Khan’s house burn and destroy it, seize their prey and wreak vengeance. In the end they were persuaded to desist. A number of nobles in the train of Roshan-ud-daulah who had no taste for fighting hid themselves in the corners and arches and turrets of the mosque. Driven from these refuges by the bullets that were flying about, they clambered over the arches adjoining the bazar and let themselves down into the street below as best they could. One great man Azam Khan in thus escaping met with a ridiculous adventure. Below the place where he climbed over was a thatched shop full of earthenware pots. In spite of the strength of the thatch his legs went through and he was caught in the beams and bamboo supports. The shop-keeper, angry at the damage done and the danger to his wares, seized a bamboo and belaboured Azam Khan’s feet so that they became all swollen and broken, and for many days he was unable to stand.
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As the result of the day’s doings the Wazir, without having moved hand or foot, became a popular hero as the defender of Islam against the unbeliever. Muhammad Shah was also delighted that the trouble of a decision had been taken off his shoulders. Removing the turban from his head, the Emperor gave it to an eunuch to carry to the Wazir as a present—with orders for his immediate attendance. Leaving men to clear the mosque of the rioters and posting strong guards at the doors, after he had said the Asar prayer in the screens at the Holy Footprints and had given thanks to God and presents to the guardians of the shrine, the Wazir returned with the eunuch to the audience-hall and reported to the Emperor. Samsam-ud-daulah First Bakhshi had remained on duty at the palace all day. Both nobles after presentation of gifts now took their leave, and the Emperor retired into the palace. The murdered shoe-seller was buried that night on the site of the munshi’s house which was demolished by the crowd; in the end a mosque was erected over the grave. For many years this affair formed the subject of poems, both in Persian and in Hindi.
Linked texts (1)
- Bayān-i wāqiʿ — Khwāja ʿAbd al-Karīm Kashmīrī 1780, Persian