In 1756, the British East India Company was a powerful force in India. It had its own army to protect its trade. In June, the Seven Years War with France loomed near and the company was anticipating it by improving the defenses of Fort William in Calcutta. The local governor for the Mughal Empire, the nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah, warned the British to desist in the improvements. When they refused, the led a large army into the city to assault the fort. The British commander escaped with part of his force and many British civilians, but left some soldiers under the command of a civilian named John Howell. The fort fell without much of a fight on June 20, 1756. The garrison plus some civilians and sepoys (Indian soldiers employed by the BEIC) were forced into the jail cell in the dungeon. The room measured 14’ by 18’ with just two small windows. It was designed for 2-3 people. According to Howell, 146 people (including two women) were crammed inside. The conditions were hellish. It was hot and little water was provided. Soon any semblance of humanity broke down. “They raved, fought, prayed, blasphemed, and many then fell exhausted on the floor, where suffocation put an end to their torments.” The next morning, the supposedly unaware Nawab was informed of the situation. He ordered the prisoners freed. 123 of them had died overnite. Howell was one of them. He returned to England to tell his tale and the details were so horrifying that the British public’s attitude toward native Indians was poisoned for decades. Later, analysis of the incident revealed that most likely Howell had exaggerated the number of deaths. One investigator concluded that 64 prisoners were put in the Black Hole and only 21 survived. No one questioned how horrible it must have been inside. (There are some historians who question if the incident even happened. Howell had a reputation for fabrication and the East India Company may have been looking for an incident that would force the British military into India to protect its mercantile interests.) In 1757, the British got revenge when Lt. Col. Robert Clive led British army in recapturing Calcutta and the fort. He then won a decisive victory in the Battle of Plassey. The Nawab was executed, but now has a positive reputation in India as one of the first to oppose British colonization.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hole_of_Calcutta
https://www.historytoday.com/archive/months-past/black-hole-calcutta
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