Fall of the Mughal Empire v3.c38.s5: § 7. Shafi’s coup of 10 Sep. 1782; he takes Abdul Ahad and Najaf Quli prisoner, and is appointed Mir Bakhshi and Regent
Fall of the Mughal Empire v3.c38.s5
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§ 7. Shafi’s coup of 10 Sep. 1782; he takes Abdul Ahad and Najaf Quli prisoner, and is appointed Mir Bakhshi and Regent
v3.c38.s5.1
At last, to remove this constant threat of riot, the Emperor sent Afrāsiyāb off (3rd Sep.) to his own jagir in the Doab, which had been invaded by Muhammad Beg Hamadāni in the interests of Shafi. Najaf Quli Khan was left as his representative in Delhi. This gay toper was no match for Shafi. He provoked that general by his hostile designs, without taking adequate steps for defeating him or even for self-defence. Najaf Quli removed from Abdul Ahad’s house and occupied that of Safdar Jang in order to be close to the fort and to guide his troops more easily. But his days and nights were devoted to wine and women and he neglected every military precaution. This was Shafi’s opportunity. The month of fasting ended and the Feast of Rejoicing (Id-ul-fitr) was celebrated on 10th September. That night* Shafi sent a strong force with artillery under Pauli to encircle the houses of Ahad and Najaf Quli, and the task was effected without opposition. By that time Najaf Quli was lying senseless with drink; his house contained only a small guard and five pieces of cannon. Waking up at dawn, he maintained a brave defence against heavy odds for a day and a night. Shafi, seated on the steps of the Jāmi‘ Masjid (11th), kept directing the attack and encouraging his troops by scattering handfuls of Rupees every now and then among them.
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Abdul Ahad could offer no resistance. At noon some of Shafi’s soldiers broke into his mansion, and, in order to preserve the sanctity of his harem the aged regent came out and made an abject surrender to Shafi, who sent him into honourable captivity again in Qamr-ud-din’s mansion. His Hindu associate, Rajah Shivarām diwān, was dishonoured and thrown into prison. Najaf Quli’s bravest lieutenant Jalāl Khan Afghān was shot dead when charging through the enemy ranks, and his master’s cause now became hopeless, though Sayyid Ali Khan, a battalion commandant on Shafi’s side, had also fallen. So, next morning (12th Sep.) Najaf Quli went to Begam Khadija to make his surrender, and was placed under surveillance.
v3.c38.s5.3
∗ DC. G. Ali iii. 156-160. Muna Lal 254-256. Ibrat. ii 43-46. DY. i. 71. Jahandar Shah in Hastings, State of India, appendix.
v3.c38.s5.4
Thus Mirzā Muhammad Shafi was left without a rival in Delhi. On the 15th of the month (September 1782), the Emperor recognised the fact by appointing him Mir Bakhshi with the title of Nāsir-ud-daulah Zulfiqār Jang and also supreme Regent and subahdar of Agra. But a month had barely passed from this when there was another turn in the political kaleidoscope, an entirely new grouping of forces took place, and Shafi was driven out of Delhi! On becoming regent he wisely tried to make friends with his late rivals. He sent friendly letters from himself and the Begam to Afrāsiyāb Khan, who professed to be reconciled and thus secured an order on Hamadāni to vacate Afrāsiyāb’s jagirs and return to his own post. But Shafi alienated Najaf Quli by transferring the jagirs of the latter to his own follower Abdul Matlab Khan. The new army chief was a rather simple downright man, incapable of suppleness or diplomatic finesse; his soldierly brusqueness offended the Court circle,* and the evil was aggravated by his lack of funds. Even the Emperor was at heart his enemy, especially as he failed to release all the Crown-lands in his hands. The eunuch Latāfat Ali, commanding four trained battalions of Purbia infantry, had sworn on the Qurān to be true to Shafi. He now started an intrigue at the instigation of the Emperor, and seduced Pauli and the officers of his contingent.
v3.c38.s5.5
Meantime, Shafi had been driven to the verge of madness by his financial difficulties. Two of his battalions mutinied for their pay and planted their guns against his gate. They were pacified by a payment in part, and Shafi determined to extort funds from the Emperor, which led to an open rupture and exchange of angry words between him and his sovereign (9th October.)