Lal Singh

Raja Lal Singh was a courtier, wazir and military commander of the Sikh Empire during the turbulent minority of Maharaja Duleep Singh. Rising rapidly at Lahore in the mid-1840s, he became close to Maharani Jind Kaur and was appointed wazir in November 1845. His political position depended on navigating the powerful Khalsa army, court factions and growing British pressure on the Punjab. When the First Anglo-Sikh War began, Lal Singh held senior command despite limited military experience.

Contemporary correspondence strongly indicates that Lal Singh secretly communicated with British officers during the war, supplying information and seeking guidance while commanding Sikh forces. After the British victory he was initially retained in office under the post-war settlement, but his position collapsed when he was accused of obstructing the transfer of Kashmir to Gulab Singh. A court of inquiry removed him and the British exiled him first to Agra and later to Dehra Dun. He lived there on a pension until his death in 1866.

Amarpal Singh’s The First Anglo-Sikh War explains the instability of the Lahore court, the power of the Khalsa army and the roles of Duleep Singh, Jind Kaur, Lal Singh and Tej Singh, while following Hugh Gough and Henry Hardinge as their forces advanced towards the Sutlej.