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| Anglo-Sikh Wars (1845-1849) |
The Anglo-Sikh Wars (1845-1849) were conflicts between the powerful Sikh Empire in Punjab and the British East India Company, resulting in the British conquest and annexation of Punjab, ending Sikh sovereignty and expanding British rule over India. The First War (1845-46) involved Sikh invasions across the Sutlej River, leading to Sikh victories and then defeats resulting in partial subjugation. The Second War (1848-49) began with revolts, escalating into a full-scale war that resulted in the total annexation of Punjab.
Two traitors, primarily high-ranking commanders and ministers within the Lahore Darbar (Sikh court), played a decisive role in the defeat of the Sikh Empire by the East India Company during the Anglo-Sikh Wars. Their treachery included leaking military secrets, deliberately withholding troops and ammunition, sabotaging logistics, and abandoning the battlefield to ensure a British victory in exchange for personal power and wealth. Prominent among the traitors were two Brahmins, who had converted to Sikhism and assumed key positions on Lahore Court:
- Misr Lal Singh, son of Misr Jassa Mal from Sahgol, Jhellum, West Punjab
- Tej Singh Gaur, son of Misr Niddha Ram from Ikari village, Meerut, UP
Lal Singh
Role: Wazir/Prime Minister
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| Misr Lal Singh Wazir of Lahore Court |
During the First Anglo-Sikh War of 1845-1846, Lal Singh took command of the Khalsa, but he was secretly working with the British, sending information to and receiving orders from Captain Peter Nicholson, an officer stationed at Ferozepur. He frequently provided them with the positions of Sikh guns, troop numbers, and battle plans. He deliberately kept artillery and cavalry away from crucial battles, notably sabotaging the Sikh position at the Battle of Sobraon (1846).
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| Misr Lal Singh before Battle of Mudki |
At the start of the war, Lal Singh refused to participate and kept his divisions entrenched at Ferozeshah even when the British garrison at Ferozepur was vulnerable to attack, allowing John Hunter Littler to retreat from the village and join forces with Hugh Gough. East India Company army subsequently defeated the Khalsa in the Battle of Mudki, from which Lal Singh fled after a single exchange of fireby hiding in a ditch during the battle.
When his troops realized his treachery, Lal Singh surrendered before the Khalsa. He was relieved of the office of Wazir, replaced by Raja Gulab Singh Dogra on 31 January 1846 but he retained military command, and was present at the Battle of Sobraon on 10 February.
At the battle of Sabhraon, Lal Singh betrayed the Khalsa once again, sending a map of the Sikh entrenchments to Nicholson. During the battle itself, Lal Singh refused to engage his troops and once again fled to Lahore.
East India Company rewarded Misr Lal Singh by appointing him as Wazir of the State of Lahore under Henry Lawrence. However, he fell from grace when it was discovered that he had sent written instructions to the Governor of Kashmir to thwart Gulab Singh's attempts to occupy Kashmir Valley, granted to him by the British under the Treaty of Amritsar.
Misr Lal Singh was tried by a Court of Inquiry, found guilty, and exiled to Agra with a pension of 12,000 rupees a year. He was interviewed by journalist John Lang, who found that he had no complaints about his treatment by theBritish. He was later moved to Dera Doon, where he eventually died in 1866.
Raja Tej Singh Gaur
Role: Commander Khalsa Army
Raja Teja Singh was commander in the Sikh Army. He was appointed as commander-in-chief of the Sikh Khalsa Army during the First Anglo-Sikh War, eventually betraying the army he was supposed to lead.
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| Raja Tej Singh Gaur of Meerut |
Tej Singh was born as Tej Ram Gaur in 1799 into a Gaur Brahmin family. His father was Misr Niddha of Ikari village in Meerut district. He was a nephew of Jamadar Khushal Singh also of Ikari village in Meerut. He first began working in the court of the Lahore Durbar as personal attendant of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. In 1816, he underwent the Pahul and was rechristened as Tej Singh. He was the Governor of Hazara and Peshawar from 1838 to 1844.
Tej Singh sided with Raja Gulab Singh Dogra of Jammu and he believed it to be a mistake to go to war with the British. However, Rani Jindan, the Regent ordered him to march the troops against the British. He did so reluctantly. However, his actions and commands during both Anglo-Sikh Wars were marked by duplicity and that he had established secret liaison with the British.
In the Battle of Sobraon fought on 10 February 1846, Raja Tej Singh crossed a pontoon bridge on the Sutlej river and ordered its destruction. This action led to the defeat of the Sikh Army, possibly as intended by Tej Singh. He fled from the battle alongside Lal Singh, even though the tide of the battle was still not certain and either side could still win. Whilst in retreat, he ordered troops under his command to destroy boats and the bridge to hamper the withdrawal of Sikh forces, dooming them to slaughter by the British.
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| Last stand of Sikhs at Battle of Sabhraon |
After the demise of the Sikh Empire in 1849, he enjoyed special benefits in the British rule, including all "rights and privileges" he enjoyed during the rule of the Sikh Empire. He was bestowed the power of a magistrate in his estate and was given a high position with full powers for management of the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar. He died on 4 December 1862 and was succeeded by his adopted son Harbans Singh.
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| Raja Tej Singh Gaur at Golden Temple with his sons |
Reference: Costly British Victory at Anglo-Sikh war
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