The Second Anglo-Sikh War 1848-49
Amarpal Singh
HarperCollins India
513 pages; Rs 899
Amarpal Singh’s first book on the Anglo-Sikh wars, The First Anglo-Sikh War 1845-46, ended with the East India Company’s conquest of Punjab a mere seven years after the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, and the posting at the Lahore court of a British resident with sweeping powers. The resident’s numerous district political agents reduced Sikh officials to ciphers, and in the sequel, The Second Anglo-Sikh War 1848-49, Mr Singh captures the sense of resentment that this gave rise to, leading to the killing in April 1848 of two young British army
