.svg)
Capture of Midnapore (1741)
| Capture of Midnapore (1741) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Maratha invasions of Bengal | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
.svg){kind=small} Bengal Subah | |||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Sabalat Jung (POW) |
 Mirza Baqar Ali | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
|
Sabalat Jung and his family captured by the Marathas. | |||||||||
Mirza Baqar, Beturn of Mish, exploited a political opening to challenge Saulat Jang’s authority in Orissa. Backed by hired Maratha infantry from the Deccan, he incited rebellion and captured several of Saulat Jang’s allies, imprisoning them at Baribaṭi. Though he considered assassinating Saulat Jang, his wife intervened. After securing Cuttack, Baqar’s forces advanced to occupy Midnapur and Hijli.
Battle
A golden opportunity soon presented itself to Mirza Baqar, the Beturn of Mish, who quickly acted to undermine Saulat Jang’s authority. He incited Saulat Jang’s enemies to openly rebel and marched from the Deccan with a force of hired Maratha infantry to recover Orissa. Several of Saulat Jang’s supporters were captured during the campaign and sent as prisoners to the fort of Baribaṭi.
According to Karam Ali, Mirza Baqar intended to assassinate Saulat Jang but was stopped by his wife, who persuaded him against committing the act. Meanwhile, the victorious army from Cuttack continued its advance, occupying the regions of Midnapur and Hijli.