Fall of the Mughal Empire v4.c52.s7.11

v4.c52.s7.11

Sharzā Rao therefore struck quickly and struck hard. In the last week of March, he arrested Nārāyan Rao Bakhshi (the son of the famous general Jivā Dādā), Devji Gauli (a captain with a long record of distinguished service to the family), Rājaji Patil and Rāmji Patil and many other partisans of the widowed ladies. Next, Nānā Fadnis and Bālobā Tātyā were removed to Ahmadnagar fort for safer custody. When the Sindhian widows arrived at Koregāon Daulat Rao began to parley with them for a compromise. But Sharzā Rao entered their apartments, whipped them and dragged them out for being sent off to some prison-fort. Then a faithful old captain named Muzaffar Khan took up their cause, and a civil war on a vast scale broke out near Punā. The widows, led by Lakshmi Bāi on a State-elephant attacked Sindhiā’s camp at Wanowri at midnight (8th June), and Daulat Rao was forced to promise compliance with their demands. But he used the respite thus gained to make a treacherous attack on their camps (25th June) at Bhāmburdā. The ladies took to a running fight and Daulat Rao, being quite unable to suppress them, restored Nānā Fadnis to liberty (15th July), as the only man who could conduct the administration and restore peace in the Peshwā’s State. At the same time he threw Sharzā Rao into prison, as the root cause of all these troubles.