History of the Qaraunah Turks in India c11.115

c11.115

The removal of Qutlugh Khan with such suddenness was looked upon with misgivings; he was an able and tried officer whose integrity had won him the confidence of all classes of his subjects. A man of charitable and generous disposition, he used to entertain pious men and mendicants, and was reputed all over the country as an honourable man. The Sultan always treated him with profound respect, and whenever Qutlugh Khan went to see him, though he seldom did so in order to avoid inconvenience, the Sultan used to rise from his seat to signify his respect for his old tutor.⁵⁶ Barani bestows lavish praise upon Qutlugh Khan’s administration and says that during his tenure of office the people of Devagiri had no experience of the severity and rapacity which were the common features of provincial administration in other parts of the empire. They looked upon him as their friend and protector against the severe punishments which the Sultan inflicted upon those who dared to cross his will or failed to carry out his orders. Barani overlooks the fact that Qutlugh Khan’s leniency had caused great abuses in the administration, and his subordinates had in the absence of strict supervision, embezzled public revenues and done what they liked. He gives no credit to the Sultan for doing an unpleasant duty in a most inoffensive manner. Be that as it may, the sudden dismissal of Qutlugh Khan filled the people with apprehension, and the Hindus and Musalmans alike disapproved of the king’s policy and became anxious for their safety. Maulana Nizam-al-Din whom Barani describes as a “simple man utterly devoid of experience of public affairs” was accorded no welcome at Devagiri. Nothing served to allay the popular fears and suspicions, and the Sultan proceeded with the work of resettlement. As it was found impossible to convey to the capital the large amounts of revenue accumulated there owing to the insecurity of the Deccan roads and the rebellion in Malwa and the contiguous territories, the Sultan gave an order that the treasure should be deposited in the fort of Dhārāgarh. The new officers, placed in the midst of a people who resented their presence, found it extremely difficult to carry on the administration. To realise the stipulated revenue, they employed harsh measures which further increased their unpopularity, and the troops that were quartered among the population caused disorder and taxed the resources of the country. The management proved wholly unsatisfactory and in the words of Firishta "the people, disgusted at the removal of Qutlugh Khan and the want of capacity displayed by the new administration, rebelled in all quarters and the country was devastated and depopulated in consequence." Barani endorses the above view.⁵⁷ Rebellion became rife and the situation called for the immediate intervention of the Sultan. The revenue declined, and the officers gave themselves up to rapine and blackmail in order to make up the deficit and to fill their own pockets. The object which the Sultan had in view in carrying out this settlement was far from attained and the evil which he had tried to remedy remained as before.