The whole body of the Sikhs gathered together atAmritsar to celebrate the Baisakhi festival which fell on the roth April 1763. At Amritsar some Brahmins of Kasur came and made a bitter complaint against the treatment of the Hindus by the Afghans of Kasur with particular reference to Usman Khan who had seized the beautiful wife of one of them and converted her to Islam. Dhillon Jat ruler Maharaja Hari Singh Bhangi the head of the Taruna Dal at once accorded as sent to help the Brahmins. He was opposed by others on several grounds. The Pathans were very powerful; their twelve forts were full of arms and ammunition; they would be joined by the other Afghans. But Hari Singh was firm. After some time also supported him, but proposed to take an augury from their sacred Granth. The Book was opened at random,the lines at the top were read which urged every one to keep his word.’ Consequently the Taruna Dal marched from Amritsar. At every stage they were joined by fresh recruits, and by the time they reached Kasur their number had swollen to 24,000. Some of the scouts of the Sikhs had advanced to Kasur in the disguise of shopkeepers and merchants and brought the news that the whole town was unaware of the movements and intentions of the Sikhs. They were further informed that the Afghans spent their day in underground cells on account of the intensity of heat. The Sikhs, therefore, made their way into the town at mid-day and took the people by surprise. The Sikhs placed their own watchmen at the gates which they closed, and the means of communication being entirely cut off the Sikhs gave the town up to whole sale plunder. Usman Khan With 500 of his followers was slain, and the Brahmin lady was restored to her real husband. The head of the Pathan chiefs, Ghulam Muhiuddin Khan, died fighting. His nephew Hamid Khan fell at the feet of Jhanda Singh Bhangi and begged for his life on the payment of four lakhs of rupees. The city was sacked and burnt. Such large quantities of gold, silver, ornaments, jewels and pearls etc. fell into their hands that all became rich.
References :-
- History of the sikhsvol 1 by Hari ram Gupta
- Buti Shah 223 P.
- Ratan Singh P.476