ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>AJ&#298T SI&#7748GH SANDH&#256&#7748V&#256L&#298&#256 (d. 1843)</TITLE> <style type="text/css"> .BODY { background-color: #EAF1F7; background-image: url('images/gtbh.jpg'); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; background-position: center; color: #0066CC;} .C1{text-align: justify;color: #0066CC;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .BIB{text-align: center;color: #000099;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .CONT{text-align: right;color: #FF0000;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} </style><META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="AJ*T,SIDGH,SANDHDVL*"> <META http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></HEAD> <BODY class="BODY" oncontextmenu="return false" ondragstart="return false" onselectstart="return false"> <FONT ALIGN="JUSTIFY" FACE="Tahoma"> <p class="C1">&#65279AJ&#298T SI&#7748GH SANDH&#256&#7748V&#256L&#298&#256 (d. 1843), son of Bas&#257v&#257 Si&#7749gh Sandh&#257&#7749v&#257l&#299&#257, was a leading actor in the gruesome drama of intrigue and murder enacted in the Sikh kingdom following the passing away of Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh. One of the younger generations of the Sandh&#257&#7749v&#257l&#299&#257s, he outstripped his uncles, Atar Si&#7749gh Sandh&#257&#7749v&#257l&#299&#257 and Lahi&#7751&#257 Si&#7749gh Sandh&#257&#7749v&#257l&#299&#257, in political ambition and conspiracy. In 1840, on his return from the expedition against the R&#257j&#257 of Ma&#7751&#7693&#299, he joined his uncles in supporting R&#257&#7751&#299 Chand Kaur's claim against Sher Si&#7749gh. Fearful of the &#7692ogr&#257 minister, Dhi&#257n Si&#7749gh, who had supported Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Sher Si&#7749gh against R&#257&#7751&#299 Chand Kaur; Aj&#299t Si&#7749gh fled Lahore in January 1841 clandestinely, along with his jewellery, and arrived in Ludhi&#257&#7751&#257 to seek the help and protection of the British political agent. Meanwhile, his uncle Atar Si&#7749gh also left Lahore and joined him in Ludhi&#257&#7751&#257. At this, Sher Si&#7749gh besieged the Sandh&#257&#7749v&#257l&#299&#257 fortress at R&#257j&#257 S&#257&#7749s&#299 and ordered that both Lahi&#7751&#257 Si&#7749gh Sandh&#257&#7749v&#257l&#299&#257 and his son, Kehar Si&#7749gh Sandh&#257&#7749v&#257l&#299&#257, be detained in Ko&#7789 K&#257&#7749g&#7771&#257.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The Sandh&#257&#7749v&#257l&#299&#257 refugees in the British territory now came out openly against Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Sher Si&#7749gh. They wrote letters inciting the officers of the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 army to rise against him. Aj&#299t Si&#7749gh took the journey to Calcutta to plead with the British governor-general the cause of R&#257&#7751&#299 Chand Kaur. Eventually, obtaining Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Sher Si&#7749gh's pardon through the good offices of the British, Atar Si&#7749gh and Aj&#299t Si&#7749gh returned to Lahore in May 1843. The unsuspecting Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 released Lahi&#7751&#257 Si&#7749gh Sandh&#257&#7749v&#257l&#299&#257 and Kehar Si&#7749gh Sandh&#257&#7749v&#257l&#299&#257 as well and restored all the confiscated Sandh&#257&#7749v&#257l&#299&#257 fiefs. Aj&#299t Si&#7749gh and other Sandh&#257&#7749v&#257l&#299&#257 <i>sard&#257rs</i>, however, nursed feelings of malice in secret and waited for their opportunity to strike. On 15 September 1843, as Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Sher Si&#7749gh was inspecting troops in the B&#257r&#257dar&#299 of Sh&#257h Bil&#257val, Aj&#299t Si&#7749gh shot him dead with an English rifle which he cunningly pretended to present to the Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 for inspection. As the Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 fell, Aj&#299t Si&#7749gh drew his sword and severed his head. The senior Sandh&#257&#7749v&#257l&#299&#257 Lahi&#7751&#257 Si&#7749gh murdered, in a garden close by, the Mah&#257r&#257j&#257's minor son, Ka&#7749var Part&#257p Si&#7749gh. Later, inside the Lahore Fort, while apportioning the office of prime minister among themselves, Aj&#299t Si&#7749gh killed Dhi&#257n Si&#7749gh on the spot. H&#299r&#257 Si&#7749gh, son of Dhi&#257n Si&#7749gh, and his uncle, Suchet Si&#7749gh, aroused a section of the army, and with General Avitabile's crack battalions, they besieged the Fort on 16 September 1843, and in the resultant action both Aj&#299t Si&#7749gh and Lahi&#7751&#257 Si&#7749gh were slain. Their heads were cut off and bodies quartered and hung on the different gates of the city. At R&#257j&#257 S&#257&#7749s&#299 the Sandh&#257&#7749v&#257l&#299&#257 fort was razed to the ground, and the houses of all Sandh&#257&#7749v&#257l&#299&#257 chiefs were destroyed. It was then ordered that henceforth all Sandh&#257&#7749v&#257l&#299&#257 lands be ploughed with asses instead of oxen. The only Sandh&#257&#7749v&#257l&#299&#257 chief to escape retribution was Atar Si&#7749gh who fled from &#362n&#257 to the British territory.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> S&#363r&#299, Sohan L&#257l, <i>'Umd&#257t-ut-Tw&#257r&#299<u>kh</u></i>. Lahore, 1885-89<BR> <li class="C1"> Griffin, Lepel and C. F. Massy, <i>Chiefs and Families of Note in the Punjab</i>. Lahore, 1909<BR> <li class="C1"> Chopra, Barkat Rai, <i>Kingdom of the Punjab</i>. Hoshiarpur, 1969<BR> <li class="C1"> Chopra, Gulshan Lall, <i>The Panjab as a Sovereign State</i>. Hoshiarpur, 1960<BR> <li class="C1"> Harbans Singh, <i>The Heritage of the Sikhs</i>. Delhi, 1983<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">B. J. Hasrat<br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>