Mir Khasim Ali Khan Nawab of Bengal

MIR KHASIM ALI KHAN

Date of Death: 1777

            Mir Khasim Ali Khan was a warrior Nawab who fought against the East India Company till his end with the conviction that he could ensure safety to his kingdom and liberty and prosperity to his people only by driving the British out of India.  Khasim Ali became the Nawab of Bengal on 27^th September, 1760, as the company rulers dethroned Mir Jafar.  Nawab Mir Khasim Ali was the nephew of Mir Jafar.  By that time, the excesses of the officers and employees of the East India Company and the traders had reached very notorious proportions.  People who dared to protest against British had to face severe punishments like imprisonment and physical torture.  Mir Khasim Ali Khan could not tolerate the atrocities of the East India Company employees.  Hence Nawab started taking independent decisions.  He wrote a letter to the council of the East India Company, protesting against the atrocities of the company officials and employees in May, 1762.  But there was no response.  Meanwhile, the atrocities by the Company officials increased manifold.  Left with no other option, Mir Khasim Ali decided to fight with the East India Company.  He shifted the capital of Bengal from Murshidabad to Monghyr in 1762.  Mir Khasim started war against the East India Company force on 10^th June, 1763.  But, he had to leave the battlefield as the British force had gained upper hand.  Then Mir Khasim reached Ouadh.  He garnered support from Shuja-ud-Doulah, the Nawab of Ouadh and Shah Alam-II, the Delhi emperor.  They agreed to be with him in the war with Company.  Mir Khasim Ali Khan faced the East India Company troops at Buxar with the hope of getting help from Ouadh and Delhi troops.  But the Oudh and Delhi troops did not came forward and they were confined only to spectator role in war because of the conspiracy of the British rulers.  As a result of the act of treachery, Mir Khasim had to face defeat and was forced to leave the battlefield.  Avoiding surrendering himself to the enemy, Mir Khasim Ali escaped from the battlefield.  And he moved secretly approaching different native rulers to garner support, so that he can fight against the British once again.  He made several in-fructuous attempts to fight back against the British.  Mir Khasim Ali Khan died in and around Delhi in 1777.