During the 1857 Major rebellion in north India, the British Army out of control, was rude to the Mogul ruler Bahadur Shah II and his family members. Numerous male members were done away with by East India Company forces. Colonists imprisoned or exiled the surviving members of the Mughal dynasty;
William Hodson, an arrogant, but result oriented military officer was unpopular among the natives because he treated the last Mogul ruler and others shabbily. It is believed that Col. Hodson, resolved to capture the Mogul ruler and his sons, finally got permission from Colonel (later General) Archdale Wilson to ride into the enemy's camp with his men to capture the ruler and others. Without any protest, the ruler, 6000 mutineers and others laid down their arms, symbolic of surrender. There was no untoward incident whatsoever. Nor were there any protests from the natives. While bringing the young mogul prices from the hide-out Humayun Tomb,near the Khooni Dhawaza,the princes were shot point blank by Hodson. It was nothing but cold murder before the stunned public.
Bahadur Shah II, who was already old was sent to Burma in exile as Hodson had previously guaranteed his life, and there the Emperor eventually died of old age with a broken heart - the end of the long reign of the Mogul dynasty in India. Now E.I.C's enemies in India were the valiant Marathas and Hyder Ali and Tipu of Mysore kingdom in the later period.
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| Hodson's grave, Lucknow. en.ikipedia |
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| Lucknow, India Hodson's tomb ranasafvi.com |
Above image: Hodson's grave, Lucknow, UP, India. Here lie the mortal remains of a notorious man who had put an end to the Mogul dynasty in India. He was shot dead in Lucknow by a "mutineer" . He fought till his death in Kothi Hayat Baksh, now the residence of Governor of UP. After death on 11 March 1858 he was buried the next day in the garden of La Martiniere College. Lucknow, Together with Harry Burnett Lumsden, he takes the credit by being jointly responsible for the introduction of the khaki uniform or drab, which many be considered as a precursor of modern camouflage uniform
Hodson's widow received a posthumous award from Her Majesty Queen Victoria in the form of an apartment at Hampton Court Palace "in consideration of the distinguished service of her late husband in India". Apart from the dissenting voices from other members of the military, there were also a few politicians who condemned the killing and felt the killing of Mughal princes by Hodson had been 'dishonorable'...........
https://www.quora.com/How-was-the-last-Mughal-emperor-treated-What-happened-to-him-later
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Stephen_Raikes_Hodsonhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decline_of_the_Mughal_Empire
K. N. Jayaraman
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