Siraj al-Dawlah

Siraj al-Dawlah (born c. 1729—died July 2/3, 1757) was the ruler, or nawab, of Bengal, India, under the nominal suzerainty of the Mughal emperor Alamgir II. His reign marked the entry of Great Britain into India’s internal affairs. The nawab’s attack on Calcutta (now Kolkata) resulted in the Black Hole of Calcutta incident, in which a number of English captives suffocated in a jail cell. Siraj al-Dawlah was defeated by British forces commanded by Robert Clive at the decisive Battle of Plassey in 1757, after which the East India Company annexed the vast Bengal province.

Nawab of Bengal

Siraj al-Dawlah became the nawab of Bengal on the death of his grandfather Ali Vardi Khan in 1756. His succession was opposed by several family members, including Mir Jafar, who would join forces with Clive at the Battle of Plassey. Siraj al-Dawlah was also troubled by the fortification of Calcutta undertaken without his permission by the British East India Company, which supported his primary opponent, Rajballabh. Although Siraj al-Dawlah succeeded in removing threats from rival claimants, the British governor of Calcutta continued to defy his requests to cease fortifying the city.

Black Hole of Calcutta

Convinced that the British would not comply, Siraj al-Dawlah marched on the city, taking the English post at Cossimbazar (now Kasimbazar) along the way. Shortly after he arrived, on June 16, 1756, the governor, the majority of his staff, and a number of British inhabitants fled Fort William (the name given to the fortification in Calcutta) for the safety of English ships in the harbor. After putting up a weak resistance, the fort surrendered on June 20, and on that night occurred the Black Hole incident. The British prisoners (146 or 64, according to varying accounts) were placed in a room 18 feet (5.5 meters) long and 14 feet (4 meters) wide, with two small windows. Of those incarcerated, 21 survived the night. The survivors were released on Siraj al-Dawlah’s command. Calcutta was retaken by Clive and Adm. Charles Watson on January 2, 1757.

Battle of Plassey

The British captured the French possession of Chandernagore (now Chandannagar) in March 1757 and reinforced their position of power by plotting with Mir Jafar, who was Siraj al-Dawlah’s commander-in-chief, to overthrow the nawab. The conspirators also included Siraj al-Dawlah’s general Rai Durlabh and an influential family of moneylenders known as the Jagat Seths (“World Bankers”). After alienating the Hindu bankers and his army, Siraj al-Dawlah fell victim to their treachery at Palashi (Plassey) on June 23, 1757. Clive and his army of some 3,000 were outnumbered by the nawab’s 50,000-strong forces but were victorious because of the defection of Mir Jafar and the political brokering by the Jagat Seths.

Death

After his defeat Siraj al-Dawlah fled to Murshidabad, which was the capital city of Bengal at the time, but he was captured soon thereafter and executed. According to some accounts he was put to death in Murshidabad at Mir Jafar’s palace, the gateway of which came to be known as Namak Haram Deorhi or “Traitor’s Gate.” Despite his brief and unsuccessful reign, Siraj al-Dawlah is regarded as a key figure in early resistance to British colonialism.