Fall of the Mughal Empire v2.c28.s4.6

v2.c28.s4.6

Early in 1766 the Sikh bands attacked Najib in the Sonepat-Panipat district. He had a force of less than 10,000 men; the odds against him would have overwhelmed a lesser man. At the rumour of the Sikh invasion, Najib’s Delhi agent Afzal Khan warned the citizens not to issue for visiting Kalka-devi (near the Qutb Minar.) He also strengthened the city defences and sent out scouts for news of the enemy’s movements. Next day (17 April) it was learnt that the Sikhs, marching from Okhlaghat, had looted the Patparganj mart and encamped at Masuri. A small band plundering the southern suburbs of the capital was driven away. The Sikhs marched up the east bank of the Jamuna, raiding Kutana, Jhanjhāna and Budhāna, when Najib overtook them,* slew and wounded many and wrested much of their booty (20 April.) A graphic account of one of his campaigns is given by Nur-ud-din, which illustrates the nature of the war and the standard of Najib’s leadership in the field.