By Avtar Singh Gill
Prince Dalip Singh, a very lovable, intelligent and handsome youngest son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who ascended the throne of Lahore in September 1843 at the tender age of five years soon after the assassination of Maharaja Sher Singh and his son, Partap Singh at the hands of the Sandhawalia Sardars, Ajit Singh and Lehna Singh, was not allowed to rule for long as, in December 1845, the British provoked the Sikhs to attack them and the possessions of the Maharaja across the Sutlej were unceremoniously confiscated and arbitrarily annexed to the British Empire and, after the First Anglo Sikh War 1845, in terms of the two Treaties of March 9 and 11,1846, the Sikhs were deprived of the fertile Jalandhar Doab and the Jammu and Kashmir region, besides patronizing the three archtraitors Gulab Singh Dogra, Misr Tej Singh and Misr Lal Singh. Then, under the Treaty of Bharowal, Dec. 16, 1846, the British, becoming the sole guardian of the person and property of the Child Maharaja, gave the people of a signal of the impending occupation of Punjab with the active connivance and assistance of the enemy within, Defeating the Sikh forces in the Second Anglo Sikh War 1848, the stage was set for the final goal. The Kingdom annexed Henry Lawrence was strongly opposed to the idea of Annexation, as it was a case of confiscation for no fault of the Child Maharaja but Dalhousie, being an expansionist, selected his Foreign Secretary, H.M.Etliot, as his Agent for the final transaction and sent him to Lahore to announce the decision of the Governor General to the innocent Maharaja and his people. And Elliot cleverly employed the more artful device of working separately on the personal interests of each available Member of the Council of Regency and signatures on the Fatal Edict were. Already obtained. On March 29, 1849, at 7:00 p.m., Elliot held the last Darbar at Lahore where the Maharaja, well tutored, was conducted to a seat at the end of the Hall of Audience and, amidst a deep silence, the Proclamation of the Annexation of the Punjab was read aloud in English and later in Persian and Hindustani translations. The fatal edict was then handed over, in duplicate, by Misr Tej Singh, specially chosen for the occasion, to the 11 year old Mabaraja, who affixed his signatures by tracing the initials of his name in English letters, The farcical transaction formally and finally transformed the Sovereign State into a British Province, making its ruler not into a Throne less Prisoner of the East India Co, and treacherously kept away from his mother, Maharani Jindan, then in exile in the notorious Fort of Chunar (U_P.), but also as a State Prisoner, Maharaja removed out of Punjab John Login having been installed as the Governor of the Lahore Fort and all its contents, on April 6.1849, the Maharaja was scrupulously kept away from the company of the Sikh Chiefs, Sardars, his relatives and eve Sikh priests. Having been forcibly tom from his mother, a few years here, he was Calculatedly tutored to develop a disliking and hatred for his coreligionist and countrymen, On Dec,21,1849,at9:00a.m. the Maharaja, with his young nephew Prince Shivdey Singh, was forced to leave Lahore Citadel in the presence of a large concourse of Lahore residents standing dumbfounded in front of the Fort, shedding tears at the departure of their last Maharaja, The Cavalcade passed through Kahna Kachha, Lulliani, Ferozepur (Dec.26), Mudki (Dec,27), Bagha Purana (Dec.28), Badhni (Dec.31), Bassian (Jan,.1), Lohat Baddi (Jan.2), Malerkotla (Jan.3), Amargarh (Jan.5), Khote (Jan.6), Patiala (Jan.7), Ghanaur (Jan,8), Ambala Gan 11), Mullana (Jan,16), Mustfabad (Jan.17), Buria (Jan.18), Saharanpur and Muzzaffamagar (Jan.21), Meerut (Jan.26) and ultimately arrived at Fatehgarh (U.P) on Feb.16. Under orders of Elliot, on the way, the Maharaja was 9 remain inside Tent no. | guarded by a British sentry; during daytime, two sentries were to lake special care that the Maharaja did not move out of the enclosure and, if attempted to leave it, he was to be forthwith stopped from doing so; each night, at the time of retiring to bed, Tent nu. of the Maharaja was to be dismantled and his bedding shifted close to that of Login; one armed plain clothed British sentry was to constantly keep a watch over the bedding of the Maharaja, each hour changing a sentry during the night; the journey from Lahore to Ferozepur was to be completed in great haste, without halt and beyond that there was a halt for cast on the way on each Sunday and lastly, the Maharaja was to travel during day time only, half of it covering on elephant or on horse= back and the rest in a chariot or cart, but always surrounded by strong armed guard on horse. Circulars sent to Commissioners of Ferozepur, Ludhiana and Ambala required them to pay every respect to the deposed Maharaja but visits and public ceremonies were prohibited and no salutes of courtesy were required. Maharaja Baptized and removed to England Surrounded by Christians for several years, no Sikh or Sikh priest was allowed near the Maharaja. Dalhousie and his wife personally visited him on Christmas day and, soon thereafter, the Maharaja was lured into/a trap and quietly baptized on March 8, 1853, telling the Sikhs and the people that he was no longer a Sikh, and they should never aspire for his return to the Sikh faith and to his birthplace. He was then taken in the company of non-Sikhs to Calcutta and, on April 19, 1854, he sailed for England in a steamer, wearing a semi European style of dress consisting of, Sikh embroidered Kurta, single-breasted gold embroidered velvet coat, a Sikh turban with bejeweled aigrette with rows over rows of large pearls. The Court of Di. Rectors accorded him a friendly welcome and Queen Victoria gave him a special audience and, regarding his rink, he was authorized to take precedence next after the Royal Family.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 15, 1993
