Fall of the Mughal Empire v1.c16.s8.23

v1.c16.s8.23

The next day (31st May) brought the news that a Maratha force had crossed the Jamunā and was plundering Jaisinghpurā and other suburbs south-west of the city. In fear that the capital would be sacked and the Emperor overthrown, Ahmad Shah wrote a *farmān* granting all the demands of Holkar. This first Maratha detachment withdrew in the afternoon, when another body forded the Jamunā near Khizirabad and plundered the *katra* of Nizamuddin Auliya’s shrine and some other places and burnt the Khurma mart. Imād, on hearing of it, went to Malhar and asked, "What is this? Why are your men plundering the city?" The Maratha general replied, "These are soldiers. They always do so." Then Imād passionately cried out, "Either slay me, or withdraw your hand from such work," and drawing his dagger placed it before his ally. At this Malhar took horse, forded the Jamunā at the time of the sunset prayer, chastised the Maratha raiders and took them back across the river. The tumult ceased, but all who could fled from the environs into the walled city of New Delhi, so that "the suburbs became totally ruined and desolate like the homes of the head, from the hands of these unclean people."