Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last emperor of the Mughals, died on November 7, 1862.
The last emperor of the Mughal dynasty established by Babar in India was Bahadur Shah Zafar II. When he led the revolution of 1857, he became a victim of the wrath of the British. After capturing Delhi, the British exiled him from the country and sent him to Rangoon. He died there on 7 November 1862. In such a situation, the question arises that what was the fate of the family of the last Mughal emperor after his death? Why is his family living in West Bengal? Know the answers to these questions on the death anniversary of the last Mughal emperor.
Syed Mehndi Hasan has a book titled Bahadur Shah Zafar and the War of 1857 in Daily. In this, quoting Ahmed Beg, who was an employee of Bahadur Shah Zafar, he has written that the emperor’s health had been bad since October 26, 1862, when he was imprisoned by the British in Rangoon. He was able to eat food with great difficulty. Day by day his health became worse. On November 2, the condition of the Mughal emperor worsened considerably.
On November 3, the doctor told that the condition of Badshah’s throat was very bad and he was not able to even swallow spit. On November 6, the doctor told that the king’s neck was paralyzed. This was the third paralysis he suffered. The very next day i.e. on 7th November, Mirza Abuzafar Sirajuddin Muhammad Bahadur Shah Zafar i.e. the last Mughal ruler of India Bahadur Shah Zafar II closed his eyes forever.
The descendants of Bahadur Shah Zafar II live in Howrah. Photo: History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Great grandson reached Jamshedpur in a basket from Rangoon
Presently the descendants of Bahadur Shah Zafar II live in Howrah, adjacent to Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal. Which is about 1500 kilometers away from Delhi. His great grandson’s wife Sultana Begum is now 60 years old. The story of Sultana, who lives in the slum of Howrah, often comes in the media. Sultana, who lived a very difficult life, has told in media reports that along with Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar, his family was also sent to Rangoon (now Yangon-Myanmar). It was there that her husband Mirza Bedar Bukht’s father and grandson of the Emperor was born in the year 1920. By then his parents, i.e. the emperor’s sons, had also passed away.
After the birth of Sultana Begum’s husband, the British had banned her from being taken out of Rangoon. However, Mirza Bedar’s maternal grandfather hid them in a basket under flowers and left Rangoon on foot. Somehow he managed to escape and reached Jamshedpur.
Sultana Begum.
Sultana reached Howrah after her husband’s death
Mirza Bedar Bukht died in the year 1980. After the death of her husband, Sultana Begum went to West Bengal and started living in a two-room hut in a slum in Howrah. There she uses a roadside public tap to wash clothes. To cook food one has to share the kitchen with neighbours. During the colonial period, the British and later the Indian government also made pension arrangements for the descendants of Bahadur Shah Zafar.
However, this pension is very low. Being the legal heir of Bahadur Shah Zafar II, earlier Mirza Bedar Bukht also used to get pension. Sultana definitely started getting this pension after his death. This pension given by the Central Government is six thousand rupees per month. Along with Sultana, her unmarried daughter Madhu Begum also lives.
Runs a tea shop in Howrah
It is difficult to survive on a very low pension. In such a situation, Sultana Begum had to do many small businesses. He sold women’s clothes but it did not work out. There was no improvement in the economic situation. After this he opened a tea shop in Howrah. Through this she supports herself and her daughter. The Mughals who ruled the entire country from Agra. Who knows how many cities were established and forts built like Fatehpur Sikri. The descendants of the last emperor of the Mughal dynasty who ruled from the Red Fort of Delhi are now living in anonymity.
Sultana Begum had laid claim to the residence of Bahadur Shah Zafar.Photo: The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images
Demanded rights on the residence of Bahadur Shah Zafar
Sultana Begum repeatedly appealed to the courts for her rights, but most of her petitions were rejected due to legal technicalities. In the year 2021, he filed a petition in the Delhi High Court claiming the Red Fort. However, the court rejected the petition saying that it was filed too late. He had also appealed to the Supreme Court.
In May this year (2025), the Supreme Court rejected his petition as wrong. According to media reports, a judge had even questioned this petition as to why only the Red Fort? Why not Fatehpur Sikri?
Sultana Begum’s answer to this was that we had not asked for Red Fort or Fatehpur Sikri. We had just said that if we are descendants of Bahadur Shah Zafar, then his residence should be given to us. He also said that my only hope was from the Supreme Court, now that too has ended.
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