The French settlement of Chandernagore (Chandannagar) in Bengal was captured by the English, with the help of their navy, in March of the year:

The French settlement of Chandernagore (Chandannagar), on the Hooghly river in Bengal, was captured by the English on 23 March 1757, by forces under Robert Clive and the naval squadron of Admiral Charles Watson.

Background:

• Chandernagore was the main French trading settlement in Bengal, set up in the late 17th century.
• It became prosperous under the French governor Dupleix (1731-1741), before he went to Pondicherry.
• The Seven Years' War (1756-1763) broke out between Britain and France in Europe, and spread to India.

The capture:

• After recovering Calcutta in early 1757, the English decided to attack Chandernagore, to remove the French threat in Bengal.
• The Nawab of Bengal, Siraj-ud-Daula, did not want the Europeans to fight in his territory, but he could not prevent the attack.
• The English fleet bombarded the fort, and Chandernagore surrendered on 23 March 1757.

Significance:

• It removed French power from Bengal.
• It was one of the events that worsened relations between the English and Siraj-ud-Daula, who had sympathised with the French.
• A few months later, the English defeated Siraj-ud-Daula at Plassey (June 1757).

Later history:

• Chandernagore was returned to the French, and changed hands several times during later wars; it was finally restored to France in 1816.
• It remained a French territory until after Indian independence.

Today:

• Chandannagar is a city in the Hooghly district of West Bengal.
• It is famous for its French-era buildings, the Strand along the river, and its grand Jagaddhatri Puja festival and lighting.

Why not the other options?

• ✗1746, 1761 and 1778 relate to other events in the Anglo-French conflict.