Q9. Who betrayed Siraj-ud-Daulah in the Battle of Plassey?

(a) Haidar Ali

(b) Mir Jafar

 (c) Tipu Sultan

 (d) Shah Alam II

The correct Answer: (b) Mir Jafar

The correct answer is Mir Jafar, who betrayed Siraj-ud-Daulah in the Battle of Plassey (1757).

Background of the betrayal:

• Siraj-ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal, opposed the growing interference of the British East India Company.
• The Company, led by Robert Clive, conspired with some discontented nobles of Siraj’s court.
• Among them, Mir Jafar, who was the commander of Siraj’s army, secretly agreed to support the British in return for becoming the Nawab after Siraj’s defeat.

Impact of the betrayal:

1. The British won the Battle of Plassey mainly because Mir Jafar and his troops did not fight.
2. Siraj-ud-Daulah was captured and killed, and Mir Jafar was installed as the puppet Nawab of Bengal.
3. The victory at Plassey gave the Company not only political power but also enormous wealth, as Mir Jafar had to reward the British with huge sums of money.
4. It marked the beginning of the Company’s dominance in India.

The betrayal by Mir Jafar changed the course of Indian history. The Battle of Plassey was the first major step in the transformation of the East India Company from traders into political rulers.