Mir Jafar who betrayed Siraj-ud-Daula

Mir Jafar (left)

History of Mir Jafar who betrayed Siraj-ud-Daula:

Mir Jafar is the man who sold his motherland, Bengal, betrayed his master, Siraj ud-Daula, welcomed the slavery for around 200 years and changed the cultural, social, political and economic history of the Indian subcontinent.

Driven by greed and ambition, Mir Jafar, the commander of the Bengali army, betrayed Siraj ud-Daula, the last independent ruler of Bengal, in the battle of Plassey against the British. Thus, he changed the course of the history of the Indian subcontinent. His treacherous plan opened an easy way for the British to rule Hindustan for almost the next 200 years. The conspiracy earned him the title of 'Gaddar', traitor in the history of the subcontinent.

Mir Jafar Ali Khan, commonly known as Mir Jafar, started his career as a soldier in the army of Alivardi Khan, the Nawab of Bengal. Because of his cunning and sharp nature, he won the trust of Alivardi khan and managed to marry his sister. Alivardi, favouring him as a son-in-law, raised his position to commander in chief in the army. When Alivardi died, Siraj ud-Daula, the nephew of Alivardi, succeeded as the Nawab of Bengal. Siraj du-Daula was a brave and hard leader. Mir Jafar could not go along with Siraj du-Daula and raised differences with him on administrative issues. Since then, Mir Jafar decided to overthrow him. 

The British, who had already set their feet in Bengal under the grab of the East India Company, wanted to have control all over the subcontinent. The only obstacle in their way to fulfilling their dream was the resistance from Siraj du-Daula, the Nawab of Bengal. Mir Jafar made it easy for them by deceiving Siraj du-Daula at the nick of an hour in the battle of Plassey.

The British was plotting to occupy Bengal in any way while Mir Jafar was planning to overthrow Siraj du-Daula. Therefore, Mir Jafar made a secret treaty on 23 June 1757 during the battle of Plassey with the British. In return, in case of winning the battle, he was promised for the throne of Bengal.

When the battle of Plassey took place, as planned, Mir Jafar, commander of Siraj du-Daula, in the middle of the battle, sided with Robert Clive, the British army leader. Siraj du-Daula was defeated and fled to Murshidabad, but he was soon captured and executed. The defeat of Nawab Siraj ud Daulah marked the beginning of the British East India Company’s rule over Bengal and later, almost all of India. The blind lust for power by Mir Jafar pushed the Indian subcontinent into the slavery of British rule for the next 200 years.

End of Mir Jafar:

After the death of Siraj, Mir Jafar became the puppet ruler of the Nawab of Bengal. With the passage of time, when he realized that expectations of the British were too high to meet, he decided to get rid of them with the help of the Duch. The British defeated the Dutch and replaced Mir Jafar with Mir Qasim. 

The “conspiracy” of Mir Jafar ultimately led to the defeat of Siraj du-Daula against the British. Today, Mir Jafar has become “the symbol of treachery” [Ghaddari] in history for handing over his homeland [Bengal] to foreign rule.

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