Later Mughals v2.c16.s4: Sec. 87.—Fall of Abdul-Ghaffur.
Later Mughals v2.c16.s4
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Sec. 87.—Fall of Abdul-Ghaffur.
v2.c16.s4.1
A small thing first of all provoked the Emperor's anger. One day he paid a visit to the shrine of Qutb-ud-din Bakhtiyar. Near by was a large handsome chapel lately erected by Abdul-ghaffur. Muhammad Shah expressed a desire to inspect it, but the doors had been firmly closed up and the keys taken away. The door had to be opened with a borrowed key: and for the time nothing was said. Next came a complaint made by outcry below the palace balcony by Shaikh Muhammad Fazil and Moti Lal, two men employed by the Shah in his office as Master of the Mint. Muhammad Fazil had left the mint to take a contract lease of Sonepat, one of the Shah's parganas, coupled with a loan of one lakh of Rupees for working it. Time passed and the lessee fell into heavy arrears. Stronger and stronger pressure was put upon the debtor and abusive language was addressed to him. In revenge Muhammad Fazil, bringing his successor at the mint Moti Lal over to his side, now made formal complaint that Abdul-ghaffur had embezzled public money.
v2.c16.s4.2
∗ Khush-hal 1061b; Ashob 53-55a; Ghulam Ali 47-54.
v2.c16.s4.3
Behind the scenes these obscure men were urged on by Samsam (First Bakhshi) and Saadat Khan (governor of Oudh). They pressed the complaint home and the Emperor said that the money must be recovered. Abdul-ghaffur was contumacious and refused to listen to the Wazir who was on his side and counselled submission. The Shah abused the Wazir in good set terms and proceeded to send for Muhammad Fazil and Moti Lal, the two men who had dared to complain. Roz Afzun Khan, a palace eunuch, brought this act to the Emperor's notice, and Abdul-ghaffur was prevented from doing anything. Matters were pushed further, and as much as 60 lakhs of Rupees was found to be the amount of his defalcations.
v2.c16.s4.4
Abdul-ghaffur turned a deaf ear to Qamar-ud-din Khan the Wazir, who wished him well, and listened in preference to Samsam-ud-daulah and Saadat Khan, who were only plotting his ruin. To increase his extravagance of conduct they pretended that the Emperor was inclined to forgive and forget and was about to appoint the Shah to be governor of the Tattha (Sind) province. With this idea in his head he became more violent than before. One day he started for the imperial audience although the Wazir had warned him that he was not master of himself and had better remain at home.
v2.c16.s4.5
Now, in deference to his character of holy man, he was never called upon to make obeisance but uttered instead the usual greeting between equals of "Peace be upon you", to which the Emperor would reply in the appointed form of words. On this day Abdul-ghaffur marched in and said nothing. Muhammad Shah without any comment, himself said "Peace be upon you." Omitting to return the salutation the Shah began to use strong language. The Emperor rose in silence and retired towards his apartments. When he had gone a pace or two, he called the Wazir to his side and said "I suffer all this through you." The Wazir answered "How could this slave dare such a thing?" "Then having placed your hand on my feet, renounce all interest in this matter." The Wazir acted accordingly.
v2.c16.s4.6
Returning to his house Abdul-ghaffur continued to curse and swear. But of what avail was his empty talk! An account was now drawn up requiring from him 3 krors of Rupees. A chela was sent to obtain the money or to bring the Shah in a prisoner. Abdul-ghaffur’s only answer was abuse and the question “Does the palace still stand?” He was arrested and put in prison in the palace. In spite of what was got rid of, cash to the amount of one kror of Rupees was seized besides property and buildings. His principal servants were imprisoned until they gave up their hoards—his chief man Dakhni Rai paid one lakh, his head clerk Kunwar Sen, and Sampat Rai (Dakhni Rai’s brother and the brother-in-law of the historian Khush-hal Chand), the Shah’s deputy in the Horse Market, and other employés paid varying sums according to their standing. [Khush-hal 1059b-1061b.]