Fall of the Mughal Empire v2.c22.s7.15

v2.c22.s7.15

We shall now see how the imperial city fared in the claws of the rapacious foreigner. The capital of an empire which, in name at least, embraced the entire Indian continent, was now absolutely without a single defender or caretaker. In the morning of 19th January 1757, the desertion of Najib Khan, the flight of the wazir, and the withdrawal of the last Maratha soldier became known, and at midnight Rajah Nāgar Mal (the imperial diwan) and the few remaining great men fled away. Next day five military policemen (nasaqchi) from Abdali’s army entered city and made its police prefect proclaim the Shāh’s order that none should molest the poor. This assurance stopped a fresh exodus that had begun.