Tej Singh was the nephew of Jamadar Kushal Singh, a Brahmin from Meerut, who arrived in the court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Both Kushal Singh and Tej Singh converted to Sikhism. While Kushan Singh became the Chamberlain for the Maharaja, Tej Singh enrolled in the army and rose to the rank of a general.
After the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Sikh court became fractious and the various agents acted at cross purposes to each other. Tej Singh appears to have had loyalties to the Raja Gulab Singh of Jammu and he, along with Gulab Singh, believed it to be a mistake to be warring with the British. However, Rani Jindan, the Regent acting on behalf of the anoinced prince Duleep Singh, ordered him to march the troops against the British. He did so reluctantly.
In the Battle of Sobraon, General Tej Singh crossed the pontoon bridge linking the two flanks of the Sutlej river and ordered its destruction. According to historian Amar Pal Sidhu, this incident led to the defeat of the Sikh Army.
- "Heroes and Villains of Sikh Rule". Archived from the original on 1 January 2018.
- Singh, Amarpal (2010). The First Anglo-Sikh War. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 9781445620381.
- "'Sikh generals' betrayal opened door for British' |". Times of India. 10 December 2017. Archived from the original on 26 July 2018.
- Bawa Satinder Singh (January 1971). "Raja Gulab Singh's Role in the First Anglo-Sikh War". Modern Asian Studies. doi:10.1017/S0026749X00002845.
- "'Teja' the traitor who became Raja of Sialkot". Dawn. 10 April 2016. Archived from the original on 23 July 2018.
- "'Had generals not betrayed Sikh army, British would have left in 1857... there would be no Pakistan' | punjab |". Hindustan Times. 22 April 2016. Archived from the original on 23 July 2018.
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