31 January

On 31 January 1757, Robert Clive signed the Treaty of Alinagar with Siraj ud Daulah, as a result of which Calcutta, known today as Kolkata, returned to British control.

On the surface, this appeared to be a peace treaty. In reality, it was the agreement that paved the way for British rule in Bengal and later across the whole of India.

The background to this treaty lies in the events of June 1756, when Siraj ud Daulah captured Fort William in an attempt to end British authority. In response, Robert Clive launched a military campaign in January 1757 and succeeded in retaking Calcutta.

Under the Treaty of Alinagar, the East India Company was permitted to resume its commercial activities in Calcutta, strengthen its fortifications, and reclaim its previous privileges.

The treaty granted the Company the following rights:

• The right to mint its own coins, representing economic autonomy.

• The right to fortify Calcutta, establishing military autonomy.

• The right to collect land revenue directly.

This marked the beginning of the dismantling of the traditional zamindari order and laid the foundation for modern title deeds. The British transformed land into a commercial commodity that could be bought, sold, and registered. Before this, land was regarded as the property of the sovereign and was allocated to subjects for use rather than ownership.

Under the influence of this treaty, Calcutta, which initially consisted of only three villages, Sutanuti, Kalighat, and Govindapur, gradually developed into a Presidency Town as British power expanded.

From this point onward, the British state for the first time organised land administration into a formal financial system and introduced the offices of the Collector, the revenue framework, and the principles of land registration that are now recognised as land records and the Collector Office.