In October 1896, Haji Kala Khan, a Baloch belonging to the Tingiani branch of Marri, declared Jihad against the British. He was popularly known as 'Mast Faqir'. On October 14, 1896, Kala Khan and five of his followers attacked Nari Bhag Railway Station in Bolan and hacked to pieces all fifteen men working there with their swords. One of the murdered men was an Englishman named Canning, who was working as a sub-inspector. They also burnt a shop of a Hindu baniya near the station. The next day, they killed four Hindu laborers at Kharapani.

General Gatacre of the British-Indian Army received information that Kala Khan and his men might be at the peak of a hill where a mosque or shrine was located. Gatacre and his sepoys ascended the peak and found Kala and two of his companions sleeping on the ground. They easily captured them. Three other men, who had gone to fetch water, fled after seeing the British. General Gatacre took Kala Khan and his two followers (Jalamb and Raheem Ali) to Dalujal, where they were chained and photographed.

Kala Khan, Jalamb, and Raheem were hanged at Sibi on November 2, 1896, and their bodies were cremated. The remaining three men were captured by the Marris themselves. Two of them were hanged at Sibi on November 10, 1896, and the third, who assisted in the capture of his comrades, was released under certain conditions. Tribal responsibility was imposed, and a fine of Rs. 6,000 was levied on the Marri chief and his tribe.

Administration Report of the Baluchistan Agency (1899-1900) recorded the following:

"Five Tingiani Marris, headed by Haji Kala Khan, locally known as the Mast Faqir. At Sunari Railway Station, eleven men were killed, including a European platelayer named Canning. Five of the fanatics were hanged, and their property confiscated. The sixth turned Queen's evidence and is kept under observation by the Marri Sardar at Kahan. The Marri tribesmen, though they helped in the arrest of the offenders, were fined Rs.6,000, and the Marri Chief was required to place his son and some additional sowars in the neighborhood of the railway line for its protection."

References

  • Sibi Gazetteer, 1907, p. 282
  • General Gatacre by Beatrix Gatacre, 1910, pp. 155–159
  • Administration Report of the Baluchistan Agency (1899–1900), p. 36
Faqir Kala Khan Baloch
Faqir Kala Khan Baloch. Source
Faqir Kala Khan Baloch and his men
Faqir Kala Khan Baloch and his men.
Captured followers of Kala Khan
Captured followers of Kala Khan.