After Jhanda Singh’s death, his brother, Ganda Singh, succeeded to the Sardari of the Misal. Ganda Singh completed the works of improvement which had been undertaken by his deceased brother at Amritsar. He strengthened the Bhangi fort and enlarged and beautified the town with many impressive buildings.
Ganda Singh was feeling very uneasy in his mind due to the treachery of the Kanaihy as which had brought about the death of his brother. According to Ahmad Shah Batalia, Jhanda Singh had conferred Pathankot on one of his Misaldars, Nand Singh, also called Mansa Singh, who died about the same time as his chief, leaving behind him his widow and a daughter. The widow married her daughter to Tara Singh, brother of Hakikat Singh Kanaihya. She also gave away the jagir of Pathankot to her son-in-law. Since Ganda Singh was inimical to the Kanaihyas for their nefarious act of arranging the murder of his brother he felt severely annoyed over both the acts of Nand Singh’s widow. He asked the Kanaihyas to hand over Pathankot to him but they insisted upon holding it as their rightful possession. Thereupon, Ganda Singh, at the head of a large army, and with the Bhangi gun, Zam^ama, marched to Pathankot via Batala and was joined by the Ramgarhias who were friendly to the Bhangis and hostile to the Kanaihyas. Tara Singh and Hakikat Singh were joined by Gurbakhsh Singh, son of Jai Singh Kanaihya, and Amar Singh Bagga. The two armies faced each other at Dinanagar where fighting continued for several days without any result. Ganda Singh, who was already not keeping good health, suffered from exhaustion due to his military actions and activities. He fell ill and in the course of ten days he passed away, in 1774. Ganda Singh held the Sardari of the Misal for a few years.
After the death of Ganda Singh, in preference to Desu (Desa) Singh, his younger brother Charat Singh succeeded to the chiefship of the Misal. But shordy thereafter Charhat Singh was killed in an action. These successive deaths of the Bhangi rulers broke the back of the Misal and the Kanaihyas had an upper hand in the contest for power. So helplessly, Desu Singh was installed to head the Misal.
References :-
- Bute Shah wrongly writes that Ganda Singh ruled for ten years, op. tit., IV, p. 14.
- Bute Shah, op. tit, IV, p. 14; Ahmad Shah Batalia, op. tit, p. 16; M’ Gregor, op. tit, I, p. 124; Bute Shah writes that Desu Singh was Ganda Singh’s son and Charhat Singh was his nephew (Bute Shah, op. tit., p. 10).