Dewan Mulraj

Dewan Mulraj was the governor of Multan whose revolt helped trigger the Second Anglo-Sikh War. A dispute over his replacement escalated after British officers were killed, leading to the siege of Multan and a wider rebellion against British influence.

Mulraj had governed Multan since 1844 but attempted to resign amid disputes over revenue demands imposed by the Lahore government under growing British influence. When two British officers sent to supervise the transfer of authority were attacked and killed in 1848, the crisis developed into open rebellion and Mulraj assumed leadership of the defence of Multan. After a prolonged siege he surrendered in January 1849; he was tried for complicity in the officers’ deaths, and although a death sentence was commuted, he died in imprisonment in 1851.

Amarpal Singh’s The Second Anglo-Sikh War traces the Multan crisis of 1848, the rebellion centred on Dewan Mulraj and Herbert Edwardes's improvised campaigns at Kinyeri and Sadusam. The second volume begins with the restricted Sikh state created after the First Anglo-Sikh War and the British-controlled regency governing for Duleep Singh. The siege of Multan is placed within the broader spread of resistance led by Sher Singh and Chattar Singh Attariwalla, and within the political calculations of Frederick Currie, the Lawrence brothers and Governor-General Dalhousie.