Battle of Plassey

Causes for the battle of Plassey :

1. Misuse of the concession pass (Dastaks): The British had
received tax concessions from the nawab of bengal. But,
servents of the East India Company were misusing the
concessions by openly indulging in private trade for profit.
They refused to pay any taxes to the Nawab. This resulted in
the loss of income to the state, and was opposed by the
Nawab of Bengal. This was the main cause for the battle of
Plassey.
2. Shelter to the French and demolition of fortifications of
factories: The British and the French were rivals. The British
captured Chandranagore from the French. Siraj-ud-Daula
gave shelter to some Frenchmen, which angered the British.
Siraj-ud-Daula tried to develop cordial relations with the
British, but soon the relations got strained because the
British fearing the French attack began to fortify their
factories in Bengal which was counter to the interest of
Bengal, when Siraj-ud-Daula protested and demanded for the
demolition of all fortifications of factories.
3. Political cause – Encouragement to the opponents of
Siraj-ud Daula: Siraj-ud-Daula had many rivals. Soon after his
succession to the throne, it was opposed by Shaukath Jung,
Ghasti Begum and Rajavallabha who put forward theirclaims
to the throne. The British fully supported the opponents of
Siraj-ud-Daulah and ultimately succeeded in bringing his
downfall.
4. The black hole incident or tragedy
The British also fortified Calcutta without the nawab’s
permission which the nawab took as an ignorance to his
sovereign power.
• The infuriated Nawab marched to Calcutta and occupied
Fort William in June 1756.
 Shortly after Fort William's surrender, on June 20,
175, Siraj confined 146 British prisoners in a small
dungeon in Calcutta, out of which 123 prisoners died
of suffocation. It is infamously known as the ‘Black
Hole of Calcutta’.
5.Fortification of Calcutta and Fort William by the East
Indian Company without the permission of the Nawab of
Bengal.
6.Extension of an asylum to Krishna Das, Nawab’s enemy,
who had misappropriated government funds and fed the
territory

Results and Outcomes of the Battle

1.The direct result of the Battle of Plassey of the political
growth of the East India Company and the political
establishment of the British Empire in the state of Bengal.
2.The Battle of Plassey is considered the start of British rule
in India.
3.After the defeat of the Siraj-Ud-Daulah, Mir Jafar was
instated as the nawab of Bengal by Robert Clive.
4.The East India Company through Mir Jafar acquired
Bengal’s trade and commercial control.
5.Major General Robert Clive was honoured by the British
government for his victory in the Battle and conferred the
title of a Lord in the year 1760 after his return to England.
6. The demise of the institution of Nawab added by Economic
exploitation led to the crumbling of local traders, handicrafts,
and urban economy.
7.Mir Jafar in order to satisfy the British as per the agreement
gave the Zamindari of 24 Parganas (group of villages) of
Bengal to the company.