Raja Chait Singh of Banaras, whose treatment by the Company later became one of the charges in a famous impeachment, was arrested by the Governor-General in:

Raja Chait Singh of Banaras (Varanasi) was arrested on the orders of the Governor-General of Bengal in August 1781.

About Chait Singh:

• He was the Raja of Banaras, a zamindar-ruler who had become a tributary of the English East India Company in 1775, when Banaras was transferred to the Company by the Nawab of Awadh.
• He paid an annual tribute to the Company.

The dispute:

• The Company was in financial difficulty because of the wars with the Marathas and with Hyder Ali of Mysore.
• The Governor-General demanded extra payments of money (about 5 lakh rupees a year) and cavalry from Chait Singh, beyond the agreed tribute.
• Chait Singh paid some of the money, but delayed further payment and requested relief.
• The Governor-General then imposed a heavy fine of 50 lakh rupees on him.
• In 1781, the Governor-General went to Banaras personally and placed Chait Singh under arrest in his own palace.

The revolt at Banaras:

• The people and soldiers of Banaras rose in revolt; some British soldiers were killed, and the Governor-General had to flee to Chunar.
• Chait Singh escaped from his palace (Shivala Ghat), but was later defeated by British troops.
• He fled to Gwalior, where he lived in exile until his death in 1810.
• His nephew was installed as the new Raja, with a higher tribute.

The impeachment:

• The treatment of Chait Singh became one of the main charges in the impeachment of the Governor-General by the British Parliament, led by Edmund Burke.
• Other charges included the treatment of the Begums of Awadh and corruption.

Related events:

The Begums of Awadh (the mother and grandmother of the Nawab) were forced to give up their treasure, around the same time.

Why not the other options?

• ✗1764 was the year of the Battle of Buxar.
• ✗1775 was the year Banaras came under the Company.
• ✗1795 was not the year of the arrest.