Question map
Which one among the following statements is not true about Bahadur Shah Jafar II ?
Explanation
Bahadur Shah Zafar II was the last Mughal emperor and a prolific Urdu poet, using the pen name 'Zafar' [2]. During the 1857 Revolt, rebel sepoys from Meerut proclaimed their loyalty to him, seeking his leadership to restore Mughal authority. While he was initially reluctant and compelled by the soldiers to accept nominal leadership, he eventually associated himself with the uprising. Statement 2 is incorrect because Bahadur Shah Zafar was not killed by Lt. Hodson. Although Lt. Hodson captured him at Humayun's Tomb and personally executed his sons and grandson at point-blank range, the Emperor himself was tried and exiled to Rangoon [4]. He died of natural causes in exile in 1862 at the age of 87, rather than being killed during the suppression of the revolt [5].
Sources
- [1] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 4: India on the Eve of British Conquest > Weak Rulers after Aurangzeb—An Internal Challenge > p. 64
- [2] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 18: Early Resistance to British Rule > Mangal Pandey > p. 295
- [4] https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bahadur-Shah-II
- [5] https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/decisive-events-indian-mutiny