Fall of the Mughal Empire v1.c13.s6.2

v1.c13.s6.2

On 2nd July 1752 when Safdar Jang was removing from his camp across the Jamunā to his mansion in Delhi city, Jāvid Khan issued from the fort and sat down in the Anguri-bagh garden, expecting Safdar Jang to visit him there on the way and pay his respects, for was he not the Emperor’s deputy? But the wazir declined to honour the eunuch in this way and rode straight on to his house. Jāvid, to save his face, called Balu Jat, who happened to be in Delhi at the time, held a Court with him, gave him a robe of honour, and then returned to his quarters in the fort. He had seduced the Jāt from Safdar Jang’s side in the meantime. What mischievous instructions the infuriated eunuch now gave to Balu we can only guess from the subsequent acts of the latter. From Delhi Balu went to his home, collected his troops and crossing over to Sikandrabad attacked and expelled the local faujdar, and plundered the city, digging up the floors of the houses. Seizing the local tradesmen, he hung them up and flogged them to extort money. Now, Sikandrabad is only 32 miles from Delhi and belonged to the Emperor's privy purse estate. The aggrieved people sent messengers to Delhi who complained to the Emperor in that night's Court. Safdar who was present asked Jāvid Khan, "If Balu has been appointed by you as the new faujdar of the place, why is he plundering and slaying the people there? If he is acting against your wishes, let me go there and punish him." Jāvid replied that he would himself undertake the chastisement of Balu. He sent his captain, Narsingh Rāi with a small force to Sikandrabad, but this man, instead of attacking Balu, only parleyed with him and let him go away scotfree with his booty and take refuge in the fort of Dankaur (15 miles due east of Ballamgarh) in Jāvid Khan's jāgir. When Safdar Jang's troops arrived there, they found this situation. After some fighting with them, Balu secured boats in that fort and effected his escape to Ballamgarh in safety. Thus no punishment could be inflicted on the plunderer of the Emperor’s personal estate and a place so near the capital. The people of Sikandrabad cried for justice, but in vain. At this futile end of the campaign, Safdar Jang, in open Court, taxed Jāvid Khan with backing Balu in these evil deeds, and the eunuch hung his head down in silence. [TAh. 38a-40a; Shākir, 71.]