Tej Singh

Tej Singh (1799 – 4 December 1862; or Raja Teja Singh) was a Sikh commander in the Sikh Empire. He was appointed as commander-in-chief of the Sikh Khalsa Army during the First Anglo-Sikh War betraying the army he was supposed to lead.

In return for his loyalty to the East India Company, it made Tej Singh Raja of Sialkot and appointed him to head the Council of Regency on behalf of the minor Duleep Singh. He was one of the six signatories to the 1849 Treaty of Lahore, which agreed to the surrender of the Koh-i-Noor diamond by the Maharaja of Lahore to the Queen of England. All the signatories, on behalf of the minor Duleep Singh, endorsed the treaty in return for being permitted to retain their jagirs.

Biography

Early life Tej Singh was born as Tej Ram in 1799 into a Gaur Brahmin family.

Court politics and alleged betrayal After the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Sikh court became fractious and the various agents acted at cross purposes to each other.

He had considerable influence over Nau Nihal Singh.

According to Harbans Singh writing in The Encyclopedia of Sikhism, his actions and commands during both Anglo-Sikh Wars were "marked by duplicity" and that he had "established secret liaison with the British".

Later life

After the demise of the Sikh Empire in 1849, he enjoyed special benefits in the new colony that the British bestowed upon him, including all "rights and privileges" he enjoyed during the rule of the Sikh Empire. He was bestowed the power of a magistrate in his estate and was given a high position with full powers for management of the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar. He supported the British plight during the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 and sent cavalry troops to assist his British colonial masters. He was awarded the title of Raja of Batala after his dispersed jagirs were amalgamated. He died on 4 December 1862 and was succeeded by his adopted son (who was actually his brother) Harbans Singh. He had a biological son named Narinder Singh.