Ajit Singh Sandhawalia

Ajit Singh Sandhawalia was a Sikh chieftain from the Sandhawalia Jat clan who assassinated Sher Singh, the ruler of the Sikh Empire, on 15 September 1843.[1]

Sardar
Ajit Singh Sandhawalia
Sardar Ajit Singh Sandhawalia of Raja Sansi, ca.1840
Known forAssassin of Maharaja Sher Singh
ParentBasava Singh Sandhawalia (father)

Biography

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Depiction of Ajit Singh Sandhawalia

Ajit Singh was the son of Basava Singh Sandhawalia, a sardar from Rajasansi.

After the assassination of Nau Nihal Singh, the Sandhawalia clan supported Chand Kaur to become the ruler.[1] But when Sher Singh forced Chand Kaur to abdicate the throne, the Sandhawalias felt cheated and refused to accept his rule.[2] The Sandhawalias were banished from the Khalsa empire and they fled to Calcutta in British India.[3]

British civil servant George Russell Clerk convinced Sher Singh to let the Sandhawalias enter the empire again. Sher Singh welcomed Ajit Singh back with open arms.[2]

Sher Singh's assassination

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Depiction of the assassination of Maharaja Sher Singh by the Sandhawalia Sardars

Ajit Singh killed Sher Singh after asking him to inspect a new shotgun. Ajit Singh then pulled the trigger[4] and then killed the wounded Sher Singh with his sword by cutting off his head.[1]

After assassinating Sher Singh, Ajit Singh and his uncle, Lahina Singh, escaped and went on to assassinate Dhian Singh, the wazir of Sikh empire.[1][4]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Khalid, Haroon (2016-05-13). "In Lahore, overflowing garbage marks the spot where the final blow was dealt to the Sikh Empire". Scroll.in. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
  2. ^ a b Singh, Gavin (2020-12-21). The Butcher of Sobraon: A Fake War and the Genocide of Khalsa. Xlibris Corporation. ISBN 978-1-6641-1385-5.
  3. ^ Singh, Khushwant. The Fall of the Kingdom of the Punjab (PDF). Penguin.
  4. ^ a b "The Raja of Rajas". The Express Tribune. 2016-02-27. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
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