Who is Mir Sadiq?

Mir Sadiq, the most hated person in the history of the Indian subcontinent, was the chief minister of Tipu Sultan, the king of Mysore. Due to Mir Sadiq's treacherous plan, Tipu Sultan got defeated against the British at Sringapatam in 1799. The war ended in death of one of the greatest warriors of the subcontinent, Tipu Sultan. Mir Sadiq, like Mir Jafar is characterized as traitor in the Indian history.

Mir Sadiq was the chief minister of Tipu, son of Hyder Ali and Sultan of Mysor. Pious, kind, and strict ruler by nature, Tipu Sultan was a great barrier for the British to step in the southern part of India. Like Mir Jafar, Mir Sadiq, according to historians of subcontinent, betrayed Tipu Sultan in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War in 1799, opening the door for a British triumph. In fact, Tipu Sultan had once removed Sadiq from ministership on charges of corruption, but later, Mir Sadiq apologized and guaranteed his blind allegiance to the Sultan and took the seat again.

Though he was forgiven by the Sultan, Mir Sadiq was kept looking for an opportunity to revenge on the Sultan. In his pursuit of revenge, Mir Sadiq met with the English. Similarly, the British, who wished to defeat Hyder Ali and then Tipu Sultan to control Southern India, found a very close man of Tipu Sultan. Because of Mir Sadiq's vindictive nature, Anglo-Mysore War 2 and 3 had already lost by Tipu Sultan.

Finally, during The Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1799) at Sringapatam between Tipu Sultan and the British East India Company, Mir Sadiq made a treacherous plan against Tipu Sultan. Mir Sadiq helped the British troops in all possible way to defeat Tipu Sultan. First, he treacherously killed Tipu’s loyalist Ghazi Khan and, then, deceived Tipu Sultan by closing the door of the castle behind, leaving him alone in the battlefield. Finally, he helped the British recognize Tipu Sultan in the battlefield as Tipu Sultan was dressed similar to the soldiers. Tipu Sultan, the king of Mysore, was defeated and martyred on 4 May 1799 fighting bravely.

Treachery of Mir Sadiq:

As treachery of Mir Jafar in 1757 paved way for the British Empire, the betrayal designs of Mir Sadiq in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1799) cleared all remaining obstacles. Thus, the British found it easy to consolidate and expand their rule without any resistance across the subcontinent.

It is interesting to know that when Tipu Sultan taking his last breath in the battleground, he was approached by General Harris, who led the British troopers, to surrender. Tipu Sultan refuted by uttering the words: "Single day life of a tiger is far better than that of 100 years of a jackal”. These words earned him the title: Tiger of Mysore. When Tipu took his last breath, General Harris said confidently that from that day the whole of India belonged to them.

Mir Sadiq, after the war is over, decided to greet the British but got killed on the way by Tipu Sultan army and Mysorians. It is said that Mir Sadiq’s body was discovered lying on a heap of garbage”. After four days of the battle, his body was still lying there, totally decomposed, insects were eating flesh of dead body and the bad smell was spreading far and wide.The British due to bad and tense smell intervened to bury dead body. People were so angry over his Treachery that even after burial, his corpse was exhumed many a time for disrespect.

One was the person who laid his life for his homeland and fought till his last breath, while the other was the man who followed his lust of power and revenge pleaded his British masters. Two different acts got different kinds of reactions and treatments even after their deaths. Even today, when tourists go to Mysore to visit tombs of Tipu Sultan and Mir Sadiq at two distant locations, they treat grave of Tipu Sultan with great respect and honor, like a dargah of a Sufi saint, and the grave of Mir Sadiq with disrespect, abuses and curses. Thus, Mir Sadiq like Mir Jafar became the symbol of Treachery, Gaddar.

Rrad more: AK Fazlul Huq, Karl Marx, Ghanim Al-Muftah