CONVICT NUMBER 3807 | PART IV : The Davidson Report

CONVICT NUMBER 3807 | PART IV

The Davidson Report

Hyderabad Residency

17^th July 1857

The Residency was attacked this afternoon. The attack repelled by the troops of escort under the command of Major Briggs, my Military Secretary. We have since been reinforced by a ½ troop of artillery, a squadron of cavalry and 100 Europeans. All is safe for the night.

I will report full by express tomorrow.

I have etc.

Sd/- C. Davidson

Resident

Surg. Major W. Napier Keefer turned the pages of the report, yellowed with age, in the personal file of Maulvi Allauddin.  It was quite a fat file with many letters and representations, and the history sheet of the Maulvi.

Out of curiosity Maj. Keefer checked the descriptive roll of Allauddin. Against the column ‘crime’ it was written ‘Rebellion’.

Against ‘sentence’ it was written ‘Life’.  The date of his sentencing by the Resident’s court, Hyderabad was 25^th August 1859. Keefer checked the calendar;   it was May 1886. He had spent 28 years and 3 months in imprisonment, and 27 years and 10 months in ‘transportation’, meaning in Andamans -- much longer than a common murderer!

During the entire period only four offences were recorded against him: one for “persisting in supplying bad vegetables to the European troops (fined Rs 3/-), and three times for ‘not supplying Dhaie regularly’, ‘short issue’ and ‘of inferior description’.  That was between 1873 and 75. Otherwise his sheet was clean.  The prison rations were strictly regulated, and curds was regularly on the menu as the prisoners expressed their dislike for milk.

Keefer went back to Maj. Davidson’s report addressed to C.F. Edmonton, Esqr., Secretary to Govt. of India, Foreign Department, Fort William (Madras).

It was sent on 18^th July 1857, by express.

“I have the honour to report for the information of the Right Honourable the Governor General in Council that the Hyderabad Residency was attacked by a band of Rohillas and Arabs under Jamadar Toora Baz Khan at 4 o’clock yesterday evening”, it began.

Davidson highlighted the efficiency of his officers saying “The troops as per margin were just seven minutes in turning out ready for action”.

Referring to the defences he said “To Brevet Captain Holmes commanding three guns of Madras Horse Artillery and Capt. Bradley commanding the infantry part of my escort, I feel highly indebted, the former opened fire with his guns at a most critical period and preserved the Residency House itself from being attacked…”, it went on.

“A massacre”, Keefer thought.

In the end Davidson wrote, “Everything now is again quiet. My daughter invited all the ladies of Chadder Ghat to take refuge in the Residency …”.

There was no mention anywhere of the name of Maulvi Alluddin.

The next letter to Edmonton had more details.

“I have the honour … to report that Rohilla Jamadar “Toora Baz Khan” the leader in the attack on the Residency on the 17^th inst. was taken prisoner at Mogulgidda after being wounded and is now in the custody of the Minister in the city.  His wounds are supposed to be mortal and that he cannot live many days”. 

Suddenly Keefer stiffened. The first line of the next paragraph had the Maulvi’s name.

It stated that “The Moulavi “Alla-ud-Din has not yet been apprehended although known to be in the city, which look bad and that it is an object with certain parties to keep him concealed – he is so said to have a paper in his possession with 300 seals attached of those individuals implicated agreeing to join in the insurrection”.

Salar Jung

What Davidson says in the next two paragraphs filled Keefer with dismay. Although dismissing it as childish Davidson says that it was rumoured that the siege of the Residency was a plan of a close relation of the Nizam who wanted to oust Salar Jung and take his place as a minister.  According to the rumour, when Salar Jung fails to control the mobs the relative of the Nizam would step in and disperse them, showing better control over the people and thus lay claim to the ministership.

“Was Davidson justifying his excessive use of force by dismissing this as childish”, Keefer thought.  He knew about the intrigues that were so common in the palaces of the native princes.  “Perhaps the Maulvi was telling the truth: that their aim was only to intimidate Maj. Davidson into releasing Cheeda Khan and other prisoners.

As he turned the brittle pages of the report bits and pieces of information about the Maulvi started trickling in. A ‘contemporary account’ that appeared in the “Englishman” of 1^st August 1857 stated that “Three Moulvies were amongst the ranks of the insurgents. One of them is known to be Moulvie Alla-ood-Deen, a man of extraordinary stature, and who acted as standard-bearer”.     

There were other reports and statements in Urdu about the arrest of the Moulvi later at village Mangalpalli.

With a sigh Maj. Keefer closed the file and rose to go to bed. Was the Maulvi a victim of the crafty Salar Jung? Tomorrow he will get some more information from the Moulvi, and them he will have to write his own report.

Next:  Part V - Life in Kala Pani