Monghyr Mutiny

rdf:langString Monghyr Mutiny

rdf:langString The Monghyr Mutiny (also known as the White Mutiny) occurred among European officers of the East India Company stationed in Bengal in 1766. The mutiny arose after the East India Company's governor of Bengal, Robert Clive, implemented an order to reduce the batta field allowance paid to its army officers. The batta had been doubled while the troops were in the service of the Nawab of Bengal Mir Jafar. Clive's order came into effect on 1 January 1766 and brought the allowances into line with those paid by the company in the rest of India. At this time the company army in Bengal was divided into three brigades under the command of Sir Robert Fletcher, Richard Smith and Robert Barker. There was some dissent against reductions to the batta and later evidence showed that plotting against Clive may have begun as early as December 1765. A scheme of mass-resignations was agreed upon and consented to by some 200 officers. The planning was carried out in secret and Clive did not learn of the impending mutiny until he received a note from Barker, via Fletcher, on 25 April stating that he had uncovered it. After this discovery the officers brought forwards their mutiny from 1 June to 1 May. Clive ordered his brigade commanders to arrest any officer who refused to do his duty and brought in reinforcements from other posts to assist him. Clive determined that the centre of the mutiny was Fletcher's brigade at Monghyr Fort and, on 6 May, set off with a small number of men for this post. Some of Clive's officers arrived at Monghyr on 12 May and separated a number of loyal officers from the mutineers. One of the loyal officers, Captain Smith, mustered two regiments of sepoys and seized the European barracks at the fort on 14 May. Fletcher appeared and joined with Smith to quell the mutiny which was achieved without any bloodshed. Clive arrived at the fort on 15 May and, after ensuring the post was secured, marched to Smith's brigade which was posted to the frontier to deter a Maratha invasion. The other brigades were less severely affected and only a small minority of officers were dismissed from the service for mutiny. Vacancies in Clive's command were filled with officers taken from the Madras Army. Clive determined that Fletcher had been involved in the mutiny from an early stage and he was cashiered from the service at a court-martial. The event has been described as one of the most dangerous in the history of the East India Company.