ALINAGAR, TREATY OF

(Feb. 9, 1757), pact concluded in India by the British agent Robert Clive after his recovery of Calcutta on Jan. 2, 1757, from the nawab of Bengal, Siraj-ud-Dawlah. The treaty was the prelude to the British seizure of Bengal. The Nawab had seized Calcutta in June 1756, but he was eager to secure his rear from the threat of attack by the Afghans, who had just taken and sacked Delhi. The treaty restored Calcutta to the East India Company with its privileges and permitted the fortification of the town and the coining of money. The treaty was named after the short-lived title given to Calcutta by Siraj after his capture of the city. Siraj-ud-Dawlah was defeated and deposed by Clive later the same year.