History of the Khaljis, A.D. 1290–1320 c21.27

c21.27

After the gruesome murder of Qutbuddīn, Khusrau Khan sent for all the high officials of the State like Malik ‘Ainulmulk Multānī, who had then arrived from Devagiri,¹⁹ Malik Vahīduddīn Qureshī, Malik Fakhruddīn Jūnā, M. Bahāuddīn Dabīr and the sons of Qara Beg. He kept them under semi-imprisonment that night and compelled them to promise allegiance to him. While the usurper was busy in establishing his power, Randhol, Hisāmuddīn, Jahariya and many other partisans of Khusrau entered the royal *haram* and began to perpetrate horrible crimes. At the outset they finished all the possible claimants to the throne one after another after effecting a thorough search with the help of torches.²⁰ Farīd Khan Abū Bakr Khan and three other young sons of ‘Alāuddīn namely ‘Alī, Bahā and ‘Usmān were murdered in cold blood.²¹ The mothers of Qutbuddīn and Shihābuddīn were also killed and many an inmate of the *haram* was ravished. Such ghastly punishments were inflicted upon the innocent, says Ziyā Barani, “as no infidel could prepetrate even in the land of infidelity”.²²