Second Anglo-Sikh War ends with annexation of the Punjab and exile of Duleep Singh

Background. The conflict between the Sikh Empire and the East India Company resulted in the fall of the Sikh Empire. On 21 February 1849 the Company decisively defeated the Sikh Empire at the Battle of Gujrat, and the Sikh Army surrendered near Rawalpindi on 14 March 1849, bringing the Second Anglo-Sikh War to an end. The annexation of the Punjab followed later in March, and the Province of Punjab was subsequently established with its capital in Lahore.

Annexation of the Punjab. Lord Dalhousie proclaimed Britain's annexation of the Punjab on 2 April 1849, following the victory at Gujrat. The East India Company announced the annexation through a durbar proclamation on 30 March 1849. The newly annexed province was governed by a Board of Administration established in 1849. The annexation included districts such as Lahore, Multan, and Rawalpindi, forming the basis of the Punjab Province.

Deposition and Transfer of Duleep Singh. Maharaja Duleep Singh, the last Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, was deposed at the age of ten following the end of the Second Anglo-Sikh War and the annexation of the Punjab on 29 March 1849. He had been placed in power in September 1843 at the age of five, with his mother ruling on his behalf, and had earlier been allowed to retain his throne under a British Resident with full authority over the state. After the annexation he was put into the care of Dr John Login and sent from Lahore to Fatehgarh on 21 December 1849, with tight restrictions on who he was allowed to meet.