Sardar Ajit Singh Sandhawalia | |
|---|---|
 Sardar Ajit Singh Sandhawalia of Raja Sansi, ca.1840 | |
| Known for | Assassin ofMaharaja Sher Singh |
| Parent | Basava Singh Sandhawalia (father) |
| Family | SandhawaliaJat clan |
Ajit Singh Sandhawalia was a Sikh chieftain from theSandhawalia Jat clan who assassinatedSher Singh, the ruler of theSikh Empire, on 15 September 1843.[1]
Ajit Singh was the son of Basava Singh Sandhawalia, a sardar from Rajasansi.
After the assassination ofNau Nihal Singh, the Sandhawalia clan supportedChand Kaur to become the ruler.[1] But when Sher Singh forced Chand Kaur to abdicate the throne, the Sandhawalias felt cheated and refused to accept his rule.[2] The Sandhawalias were banished from the Khalsa empire and fled to Calcutta in British India.[3]
British civil servantGeorge Russell Clerk convinced Sher Singh to let the Sandhawalias enter the empire again. Sher Singh welcomed Ajit Singh back with open arms.[2]
Ajit Singh killed Sher Singh after asking him to inspect a new shotgun. Ajit Singh then pulled the trigger[4] and then killed the wounded Sher Singh with his sword by cutting off his head.[1]
After assassinating Sher Singh, Ajit Singh and his uncle, Lahina Singh, escaped and went on to assassinateDhian Singh, the wazir of Sikh empire.[1][4]
